Open Doors Pt II: Portals
by FaithfulELF
Summary: Annie, Clu, Fi and Jack have managed to escape the dream plane, but they soon find that they have been seperated through space and time. Can they find their way home? R&R, full summary inside AnnieJack, FiClu
1. Chapter 1

SUMMARY: Fi, Clu, Annie and Jack have left the dream plane, but instead of going back home they've wound up separated through space and time, Fi in an alternate dimension where her Father's still alive, Annie & Jack are stuck in the middle ages, and Clu finds himself somewhere in time.

DISCLAIMER: Don't own So Weird. Own the plot, but it's only mingled with original plans for Season Three, so …

Fi's INTRODUCTION: Everybody wishes that they could change certain events in their lives. Or that they could travel through time to change an event; or stay for just one day in a great age in history. People are so concerned with the what-ifs and the un-imaginable that they forget to live in the today. They become so caught up in pondering upon different worlds that they miss what's right in front of them. But can you blame them? Imagine being able to change one thing in your life, or to live a past life. It would be great! But don't you think that … when all's done … it isn't as great as you thought it would be? And maybe, just maybe … you want to go back home?

CHAPTER ONE

Fiona Phillips sat up in her bed, sweat dripping down her face as she tried not to let her nightmare get to her. Or, what she was passing off as a nightmare at the moment, but she knew differently. Everything that had just happened in her ballroom dream had been as real as anything else she knew. Her mind was already turning with unanswered questions – and unknown plans to retrieve her Father from the bowels of hell where they undoubtedly had taken him. The phantoms – her enemies.

She groaned, rubbing the sweat from her face and blinking a couple of times, hoping not to let the sun get into her eyes. After a moment she let out a yawn and pulled back her covers, impulse telling her to check on Clu, Annie, and Jack.

She froze as her feet touched the ground, her eyes slowly sweeping over the room before her. She was back in her old room in Hope Springs – in the house her mother had sold the year before. How could that be possible? Her face scrunched up in confusion and slowly she stood, her eyes taking in everything she could see. There were several changes. Her closet seemed fuller and her computer desk was different from the one she'd had before. But it was still her old room.

She picked up her robe from where it was draped over her chair and pulled it over herself, trying to ignore the shiver running down her spine. Was it possible she'd wound up in another dream? Could the doors really do that?

Slowly she pulled open her bedroom door and looked down the hall. It was still the same as she remembered it – no changes here. She bit her lip uncertainly before heading out into the kitchen to find her Mom standing over the oven, flipping pancakes.

"Hey baby, you're up early," She said, giving Fi a smile.

"Guess I couldn't sleep," Fi said, slowly slumping into her chair. She took in the old kitchen, eyes wide in wonderment as she tried to grasp just what was going on.

"You alright?" Her mother asked, putting a tray of eggs in front of her. "You seem sort of … confused."

"I'm fine," Fi said, turning and giving her Mom a small smile. "I guess I just had a nightmare." Then she relaxed into her seat. "It was all a nightmare."

"That's the third one in a week. Maybe you and Jack should stop watching all those scary movies," Molly stated, giving Fi a pointed look. She grinned in response.

"Yeah, maybe. Where is everyone?"

"Out," Her mom replied. "The boys wanted to go check out some new stereo that the Bell's got last night. It's supposed to be state of the line."

"State of the line? The Bells? That doesn't sound like them," Fi said with surprise.

"Well I guess it was Carey's idea and Ned seems to have gone along with it," Molly replied.

"I wonder how Irene's taking it," Fi said, rolling her eyes. "She hates all that noise." Molly turned and looked at her with confusion before turning back to the pancakes. "Is there any butter?"

"Sure is. Right over by the bread box." Fi nodded and quickly retrieved the butter, putting a little over her eggs before adding some salt.

"You really shouldn't put so much butter on those," Molly said with disapproval, turning around and taking her seat at the table.

"It tastes better that way," Fi said. She took a bite and grinned before looking around the table. "Hey, how come there are two extra plates?" She asked.

Then off of Molly's confused look, she added, "Carey and Clu are coming over, right?"

Molly put down her fork and put her hand on Fi's forehead. "Baby, are you feeling okay?"

"Mom, I'm fine," Fi said with a grin, swatting Molly's hand away. "In fact, I think I feel better than I have in a really long time."

Molly frowned before pulling away. "If you say so," She said, reaching for the syrup and pouring it on her pancakes.

"Hey Mom," Fi said, looking up. "Do you think it's possible for someone to have a dream of a really long period of time?" Fi asked.

Molly stopped; her fork just before her lips. "What do you mean?"

"Well, do you think it's possible to have a dream that was of a whole year?" Fi asked.

"I suppose it's possible," Her Mom said slowly. "Although I'm not sure I've heard anything like that."

Fi smiled with relief. "Then it was all just a stupid dream."

"Fi, what's this all about?" Molly asked with interest.

"I just had the weirdest dream," Fi said, giving her Mom a grin.

"Maybe you should tell your Father all about it," Molly suggested, causing Fi to freeze in surprise.

"What?" She asked, looking up at her Mom with wide eyes.

"Yeah. You know how he's into all that dream stuff. Here he comes now, why don't you ask him?"

"Ask me what?" A voice asked from the patio door. Fi spun around and her jaw dropped in surprise as she saw her Father standing there … very much alive.

SO WEIRD

Annie stepped through the door, holding Jack's hand. The two stumbled through before stopping in an old hallway. It was dark out, though some torches were lit on the walls – keeping the place bright. Annie frowned, looking around.

"I have a feeling we're not back at your Aunt's," She said, swallowing hard.

Jack peered around thoughtfully. "Obviously not. So the question is: where are we?"

Annie shrugged in confusion, moving down the corridor in hopes of finding a clue. Instead Jack grabbed her arm, keeping in place.

"Hold on, we may be somewhere we don't belong," He said sharply. "If we get caught, we could get in trouble."

Annie nodded. "You're right. We just have to try and figure out this situation as reasonably as possible."

"There you two are!" Someone exclaimed, coming quickly down the corridor. He slowed when he caught sight of Annie and Jack. He looked from one to the other, before grinning. "I thought you were going to take Anne upstairs," He said.

"I'm sorry?" Jack asked, looking at the man with confusion.

"Well I was under the impression that you weren't allowed to let Anne overhear any plans for battle. Isn't that why you said you had to take her upstairs? Where has Henry gone off to? I thought he was with you."

Jack frowned, looking to Annie, hoping for some sort of answer.

"He had to depart," Annie said, trying to take up on the same sort of language as the man spoke. "The bathrooms, you understand?"

"Why ever would Henry take a bath at a time like this?" He asked.

"Not bathrooms," Jack said quickly. "He had to … to … stop off at the stables for a moment. He was worried for his … horse?"

"Ah, old Henry and that obsession of his with that horse. Well you'd best be hurrying before Arthur gets too troubled. You're one of his best knights, you know," the man said. He gave Annie a quick bow before turning away. He stopped, and glanced back over his shoulder. "Oh, and Jacob? We still need to discuss that little incident from the other day." He gave Annie a pointed look before turning back to Jack. "You of course know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

"Yeah," Jack said slowly, frowning at the dark grin the man gave him. "Yeah, I think I do."

"Very well then. Don't take long." And with that he vanished back down the corridor.

"What was he talking about?" Annie asked with confusion.

"I have no idea," Jack admitted. "But I don't trust him. There's something … off about him."

"I agree," Annie said, staring down the corridor uncertainly. Then she frowned. "Jack, where are we?"

"I have a vague idea," Jack said quietly. "But I really don't want to believe it."

"I thought the door would take us back to the real world," Annie said with a hint of annoyance,

"We _are_ back in the real world. Just … a thousand years or so before our time."

"What!?" Annie exclaimed, staring at him with shock. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my past life. He called you Anne, and me Jacob, which means he thinks we're …" Here he faltered, as if suddenly realizing something. "You're Anne."

Annie frowned. "Wait, are you trying to say that you and I are in the … the bodies of Anne and Jacob … from the statue your Grandma had?" Annie exclaimed. "How is that possible?"

"I want to know how it's possible that you are Anne."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Annie demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well Anne and Jacob … I mean, you heard Fi. They were married. If you're Anne and I'm Jacob, then …"

A sudden blush crept across Annie's face. "Oh," She said quietly.

"Oh _no_," Jack said, quickly walking away. "Look, why don't we just get you up to your room like that kid was suggesting and I'll try and figure out a way out of here."

"You'd better," Annie said, quickly following behind him. "I'm not sure I could fit in here."

"If I remember correctly, Anne was just as annoying as you, so I'm sure you'll fit in _just fine_."

Annie narrowed her eyes but followed behind him, picking her skirts slightly in hopes of keeping up. "What about Fi and Clu? Aren't you worried about them?"

"Of course I'm worried about them," Jack snapped. "Clu's my best friend and Fi's my sister. I'm sure that they'll turn up, okay? It's not likely we'd all end up in different places."

"What if we did?" Annie asked with a frown.

"That's ridiculous," Jack said, trying not to let his imagination wander. "Where could they possibly go?"

SO WEIRD

Clu frowned in confusion, taking in the elaborately decorated baby's room. Slowly he turned and looked to the door.

"I'm gonna guess that this isn't Melinda's house," He said slowly. He looked around the room. "Fi? Annie? Jack? Where are you guys?"

He started for the door, but froze when he heard someone gurgle. Slowly he turned around and found himself face to face with a little baby no older than five months.

"Uh, hey?" He asked with confusion.

AN: Okay, POLL: SHOULD Clu be in the future, or in the past. What do you guys think; cuz I can't decide.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

"Daddy?" Fi asked, staring at him with surprise.

"Hey there, Rockerbaby. Didn't think I'd see you up this early," He said, taking a seat next to Molly just as Jack came in from the patio and closed the door behind him.

"Man Fi, you should have seen the Bell's new stereo. It is _sweet_. Carey says you'd better come check it out later," Jack said, taking a seat beside Rick. Fi blinked, before jumping up and throwing her arms around her Father.

"I love you, Daddy," She whispered. Jack frowned and Molly & Rick exchanged confused looks.

"I love you too, Fi," He said, patting her arm and waiting for her to let go. She pulled away and stared at him, tears in her eyes.

"What is with you?" Jack asked as Fi took her seat, still sitting at the table.

"Fi," Molly said, looking her daughter over. "You look as if you've just seen a ghost."

"I feel like I have," Fi replied, staring at her Father.

He frowned before turning to Molly. "She had that nightmare again, didn't she?" He asked.

"She mentioned something about a nightmare, but I didn't think it had anything to do with the others. I just told her to stop watching those scary movies," Molly said dismissively.

"Honey, I'm not going to get into any car accidents," Rick said, looking pointedly at Fi.

"Told you not to tell her the story last night," Jack said, taking several pancakes and rolling his eyes. "Aren't you too old for bed-time stories, anyways?"

"What are you talking about?" Fi asked, looking at her brother with confusion.

"I'm talking about you asking Dad to tell you the story about his accident."

"Fi, I thought we've been through all this before," Molly said, looking at her daughter with a slight hint of annoyance. "Why do you have to hear that story again?"

"What story?" Fi asked, looking around the table.

"Oh, come on. You've already heard it a million times," Jack said.

"So humor me," Fi snapped, before turning to her mother. "What story?"

"The one about your Father's accident," Molly said dismissively. Off of Fi's blank look she added, "When you were two. The car accident? He almost didn't make it, but at the last minute he pulled through."

"When I was two?" Fi asked, glancing at her Father.

"Well, I guess you were on the verge of turning three," He admitted.

_They're talking about the accident that killed Daddy_, Fi thought with a frown. _But how is this possible?_

"Guess you hit your head harder then we thought yesterday, eh Fi?" Jack asked, giving her a playful nudge.

"Yeah," Fi said slowly. "Hit my head."

"No more basketball for you then, young lady," Rick said, reaching over and ruffling Fi's hair.

She forced a laugh before pulling away. "You know, I've got a few things that I need to get done."

"You haven't finished your breakfast yet," Molly said.

"I don't really have much of an appetite," Fi replied, pushing her chair in.

"Alright," Molly said reluctantly. "But try not to wake Dylan on your way up."

Not paying too much attention Fi nodded and then darted out into the hall where her family couldn't see her. Here she stopped to take a moment to observe her surroundings. The family pictures were different, she quickly realized. The one that had been taken before when she was five had showed her, her mother and Jack smiling at the camera. Now it showed her, Molly, Jack and Rick grinning. Her mom's smile even reached her eyes.

Fi turned to the next one – a large frame full of several different pictures. There were a lot of when they were younger. Fi learning to ride a bike; Jack taking his first swing at baseball. Her eyes fell on one near the center that at first she thought was just Jack. But then she realized that Jack was actually sitting on the porch steps in the picture – not quite right. She leaned in closer and noticed that the other boy had more freckles than Jack had. And his hair was the same shade of blond as Fi's had been when she was that age. As Fi looked further at the pictures she began to realize that he was in more of them.

She stopped at one of Jack lying on the couch looking at Fi and the other boy – who were sitting on top of him – with annoyance. It had to have been taken recently, seeing as how she and Jack looked about the same age as they did now. Maybe it was taken a year ago.

"Why are you looking at the pictures?" A small voice asked behind her. Fi spun around with surprise to see the mysterious boy standing behind her. His blond hair had darkened since the first picture Fi had seen him in. But often age will do that. He stood tall, but not as tall as Fi. He couldn't have been older than eight, his brown eyes looking Fi over inquisitively.

"Who are you?" Fi asked with a frown, before realizing it probably wasn't best to ask this kid such a question when he obviously seemed familiar with her.

"Very funny, Fi," He said with a 'humph'. "I'm the alien from Neptune. Did Mom and Dad forget to remind you I'm staying here?" Then he burst out laughing at his own joke and started for the kitchen. Fi turned and watched him with amazement, a slight chill running down her spine when she heard Jack exclaim, "Hey squirt" at the boy's arrival. She turned back to the family picture taken when she was five and studied it further, quickly picking up on the fact that her Mother looked a little chunkier than she normally did. Almost as if she was …

Fi peered around the corner into the kitchen and watched as her family began to joke around about some event that happened the day before. She pulled back into the room before turning to the pictures once again.

_Try not to wake Dylan on your way up._ That's what Molly had said when Fi was anxious to investigate this new life. So the question was: Who was Dylan? Could he possibly be the little boy that she'd just run into? And if so, how did he get there?

SO WEIRD

The baby blew a small bubble and then popped it; a look of utter interest was held on its face. Clu frowned, before stepping closer and picking the little baby up. It relaxed into his arms, resting its head on his shoulder. He froze with surprise, before smirking. "Hey there, baby. Are you sleeping on me?" He moved her a little and looked her over, the baby not quite happy with the change of motion. She let out a soft cry, causing Clu to freak out.

"Sorry, sorry," He said, quickly placing the bawling baby back into her play pen. Still the wailing continued. "Man, I'm not good with babies." He winced, looking around for anything to give the baby that would make her fall silent.

"… I don't know what's gotten into her. She hardly ever cries," He heard someone say from out in the hallway.

Clu froze, staring at the door before grabbing a hold of some toy and handing it to the baby, which she quickly took and began to chew on. He then set the baby in the playpen and quickly looked around, trying to find a place to hide. The only place that seemed to offer some place to hide was the closet, and it was way too small for him. Still, he pushed himself in, sliding the door shut just as two people stepped into the room.

The woman picked up the baby, looking her over. "She seems to have calmed down," The woman said to the person beside her. Clu frowned, realizing that the voice was familiar. He turned a little, trying to look through a crack in the door, but he couldn't quite see who was standing there.

"What do you have there?" The man asked, taking the toy from the gurgling baby. "How did you get this, sweetie?"

"It was probably in her playpen," The woman replied in a dismissive tone.

"No, I left it on the changing table," The man replied.

"The changing table?" The woman asked incredulously.

The man shrugged in his defense. "She was playing with it last time she needed a change."

Clu made a face at the thought.

"Well I'm sure one of the others probably left it there," The woman said dismissively.

The man, on the other hand, simply frowned. "No one was in here since I settled her down for her nap," He replied.

Come to think of it, Clu realized, the man's voice was familiar, too. He leaned in closer to hear the response.

The woman scoffed. "Don't start with that again," She said. "I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. You don't have to jump to conclusions every ten seconds."

"I'm not jumping to conclusions," The man replied, annoyance in his voice. The woman set the baby back in her crib and turned towards the door. "I'm just trying to keep all options open."

"You and I both agreed to let all that go!" The woman snapped. "So stop bringing it up. You always have to do that, don't you?"

It was the anger in her voice that triggered something in the back of Clu's memory. He could almost hear it again, a slow image beginning to form in his mind. Before he got the chance to recognize it, though, the woman stormed out of the room, the man following quickly at her heels.

Clu hesitated several moments, waiting until he was certain the room was empty before easing the door open and slipping out, stretching from his aching limbs. Several moments passed before he had fully regained comfort. When it did, he glanced at the baby to see her watching him. Her tears had retreated and now she was smiling up at him, holding her toy out to him as if she wanted him to play.

"I've got to figure out where I am," Clu said to himself, shaking his head. He gave the baby one more look before sneaking out into the hall, determined to find out where exactly he was.

SO WEIRD

Jack looked uncertainly around the room before taking a seat at the end of the table. There were several other people all gathered around, talking loudly and debating as they gobbled down booze and spat curses. The floor was filthy, and there were several maids running around trying to organize the room. After several moments the final members came and took seats at the table and the room quieted down.

At the head of the table, Jack noticed, sat a man on an elaborate chair much larger than all the ones that the other men were sitting on. His eyes were tired and his face drawn. Age had withered him … either that or duty.

"I'm glad you could all make it here," The man said, giving a slight nod. Jack couldn't explain it, but in a moment he knew that this man was Arthur.

"Aiy, we're here. Now what is such a pressin' matter?"

"The word of the outskirts," Arthur declared, rubbing his eyes. Jack looked around to see that these five words had piqued everyone's interest. He himself was interested. He turned back to the elderly man.

"Is it Le Fey?" Someone asked; a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Nay. I doubt it," Arthur replied. "Simple outsiders from the south wishing to intrude upon our kingdom."

"Lord Balven is of the south," Someone said sharply. Everyone turned their attentions to see the way his eyes were wide and accusing.

"So is the knight Sir Bohors!"

"I would never be a traitor!" The supposed Sir Bohors exclaimed, jumping up. "This is nonsense!"

"Aiy. Sir Bohors is one of the King's most trusted knights!"

"Was not Sir Lancelot?" Another countered. "Look at his betrayal!"

A lump formed slowly in Jack's throat as he began to realize just how far in the past he really was … how long ago Jacob was.

"Are we to believe that simple threat of war will turn brother against brother?" Jack looked up to see someone standing in the doorway, looking the group over with some disgust.

"Bedwere," Arthur said, giving a slight nod at the newcomer's presence. "Welcome back."

Whispers picked up quickly over the table, rumors of Bedwere's journey. The tall man looked over the group, almost with a sort of disgust, before turning to his King.

"My King," Bedwere said, giving a slight bow. The King nodded in reply.

"Tell us your news."

"Tis not good," Bedwere said, shaking his head. "There is an up rise amongst the cast-offs. The death of Morgan Le Fey has spread like a fire and her people are in a rage. Led by Mordrid they plan to attack. There is even word of a great army from across the sea."

This caused a greater stir amongst the group than the King's announcement had. Everyone had something to say on the matter, everyone beginning to talk quickly. Jack tried to think back, hoping to remember some of the old Arthurian legend. It had been his greatest interest, and he couldn't recall much, but what he did remember was that supposedly this Mordrid was going to be the end of King Arthur.

"Calm yourselves!" The King bellowed, pushing himself up and looking the warriors over with a sharp eye. He may have been old but he was still intimidating, Jack realized. The silence could have been cut with a knife as they all stared blankly at their king. "We are here to discuss our means of operation."

"What do _you_ wish, my King? Do you think there is to be a war?"

"Surely not another," Said a stout looking man with a thick beard. "We have just settled the last."

"Aiy, sir. Our resources have dwindled to nothing."

"We cannot let the son of Le Fey take action against this kingdom," Another declared.

"He will come for you, King. As Morgan had," Sir Bohors stated.

The king looked them over, before his eyes stopped on Jack. "Sir Jacob, you have been unusually quiet tonight."

Jack nervously cleared his throat, looking for the best answer. "I, err, have been lost in thought." Than as an after thought he added, "My King."

"As well you should be," Bedwere stated. "At least one of us is thinking with his head and not his heart."

"The best course of action would be to go against Mordrid."

"No, no, there is no chance of success. Not so soon after the fight against Le Fey!"

The group continued to bicker as the old king fell back into his seat, looking shaken. Bedwere was quickly at his side, offering him a drink. The king shook it off, his eyes drifting over the group of men before finally settling on Jacob. He gave a small smile, and Jack couldn't help but feel a slight shiver run down his spine.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"Jacob," A voice said from behind Jack. He turned sharply to have the King envelope him in a comforting hug. "I have waited for your arrival. It has been so cumbersome being here without you. How was your visit?"

"My visit?" Jack asked, glancing around the old parlor nervously. After much debate and still no resolved plans of action, the group had dismissed, heading to the den where the group were chatting and catching up with the courts, all worries seemingly forgotten for the moment.

"Yes. Is your family well?"

There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Something about Jacob's family that was bugging him. Instead of looking further into the feeling, however, Jack just nodded. "They're fine."

"Splendid. Thing shave been so troublesome without you around, Sir Jacob. The Lady Anne missed your presence, but I do believe Sir Henry kept her company. Tell me, have you spoken with her yet?"

"For a moment," Jack replied, his thoughts suddenly turning back to Annie. He'd been so caught up in what had happened at the table that he'd nearly forgotten all about her. He suddenly felt the urge to go check up on her.

"I'm sure her Father would like it for you to take back your post as her protector. No doubt Sir Henry has done a good job, but you seem to have quite an affect on the old lord."

"The Lady Anne," Jack repeated, and he couldn't help the strange stirring he felt at the name. Annie, dressed in that ball gown that she'd been wearing back in the dream plane flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but smile.

The king noticed the look, and quickly frowned.

"Jacob," He said softly, though his words were firm. "You know I consider you the son I never had. Are we not close?"

"I suppose," Jack said, this being the first he'd heard of the king and Jacob being close.

The King lowered his voice, pulling Jacob closer. "Take my advice, lad. You'd best be getting any of those thoughts out of your head."

"What thoughts?" Jack asked.

"Of you and the Lady. You'd best not let any others see your devotion, either. It will only cause trouble. You may be like a son to me, but you can never provide the life for the Lady. Not the kind her Father looks for her to have. You and I both know you'd have nothing to offer."

A spark lit in Jack's eyes as he pulled away, though he couldn't quite explain why. "Nothing to offer?"

"Don't take it that way," The King said quickly. "You are quite well-off compared to the other knights and soldiers. It's just that, as much as the Lord may enjoy your presence, you are but a protector in his eyes. You don't own any true land aside from your family's farm, you don't have a real title, and you are just a boy."

"I'm not a boy," Jack snapped, taking several steps back.

"Listen to me, Jacob," The King said sharply. "It cannot happen. It will never be approved by the courts, you know this. The Lord wants his daughter to marry well."

"I am well!" Jack snapped, not even questioning why this made him so angry.

"I know that," The king growled. "But the lord wishes his daughter to marry a suitor. You are not a suitor, Jacob. Not to him. You are just a warrior. One who will most likely be slain in battle."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Have it that way, then," He sneered, turning quickly and fleeing the den. He could hear the King calling after him, but he didn't stop. Couldn't really. His mind was catching up with his emotions. Why would he be so angry over something that had nothing to do with him? He let the vague idea that maybe a part of Jacob was still inside of him, and that was who had made that scene back there. But another part of him – the smaller part – wondered if maybe it was actually him. Maybe he was actually feeling something for Annie.

Then he shook his head. That was stupid. He and Annie? Together? It would never, and _could_ never, happen. Just like Jacob and Anne.

_Still_, Jack thought, _They had_.

SO WEIRD

Clu knew after several moments that he recognized the old house he found himself trapped in. It was the very same house that Jack and Fi had grown up in – before Fi had left and Molly had sold the old cabin and bought something closer to town. It was different, though. Not the way he remembered it being. There were no pictures on the walls and the furniture was different. Still there were some semblances of what the house had once been. Clu couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd been transported to the old house rather than Melinda's in Seattle. If so, then he'd have a lot of explaining to do. Right now, though, the most important thing was to get out of the house, and get somewhere safe.

There hadn't been any sign of the couple since he'd slipped out, and now he was just a minute or two away from the side door. If he could get there unnoticed then he could leave the house and try to find help. Maybe head home and see if his parents were there. Even if they weren't, he knew where the hidden key was. He could get inside with no trouble, and then work things out from there. If he could find Fi – yes, Fi would know what to do.

He stopped a moment in the kitchen, double checking to be sure no one was around, before darting over to the door and pulling it open … and bumping right into someone.

"Sorry!" Clu exclaimed, pulling back and bending down, helping to pick up the spilt groceries that now littered the kitchen floor.

"Don't you ever watch where you're going, Clu?" The older boy grumbled, bending over to help the blond.

Clu looked up with some surprise, about to ask how the man knew his name when the question died off, and he saw the aged face of his older brother.

"Carey?"

SO WEIRD

She hadn't changed history – you couldn't do that from the dream plane. And this was _definitely_ not the way her life had been before. At the moment, the only explanation that Fi could come up with as to how her Dad was alive was that she was in a parallel dimension. When she'd gone through the doorway to lead her back it must have taken her to the wrong place. Either that or it was just another dream. Yet this felt too real to be another dream. Still, it wasn't entirely out of the question.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, leaning closer into the computer chair and trying to recall exactly what her password was. She knew what it had been back in her old world, but not this one. She'd tried several different things to get the computer to work, and still nothing seemed to be happening. Frustrated she hit the desk and pushed away, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Are you okay?"

She jumped, startled, before turning to see the little boy from earlier standing in the doorway, watching her with slight concern.

"I'm fine," Fi said quickly, standing up. "Just having some computer trouble."

"Did you put in your password?" The boy asked, moving in closer.

"Sort of," Fi said.

The boy gave her an incredulous look, before bending over the chair and typing several different commands into the computer. The screen popped up, featuring a collage of pictures. There were a lot of pictures of her and various family members, but there were also a lot of her and Candy.

"How did you do that?" Fi asked, stepping closer and looking at the boy with some surprise.

"I over-rid the password," the boy replied. He gave her a pointed look. "I know you don't use the computer much. I get it if you forgot your password."

"Are you kidding me? I use it more than Jack. I know everything about cyberspace," Fi replied.

At this the boy raised an eyebrow, before rubbing his hands. "Well I'm going to go see what Jack's up to -."

"Dylan!" Fi said quickly, before the boy could leave. He turned and gave her a startled look. "Yeah?"

She'd been guessing, hoping that was the boy's name. Now she wasn't sure what else to say. "So … you're my little brother?"

At this Dylan laughed. "Where have you been? I didn't think that basketball yesterday hit you _that_ hard!"

She had a little brother.

Fi couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face. And he seemed so happy. Her whole family did, actually. Maybe this wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it was turning into everything she'd wanted it to be. She took a seat on her bed, looking Dylan over. He looked a lot like her. And Jack. She could instantly pick out the similarities. She could see her Mom and Dad in him, too. He was a perfect mixture of all of them. At least in appearance he was.

Dylan took a seat next to her, seeming thoughtful. "I really missed you when I was away, Fi," He finally said.

At this Fi straightened up, giving Dylan a confused look. "When you were away?"

"On tour," Dylan clarified. "With Mom and Dad. Sure, Carey kept me company, but it wasn't the same. You always knew what to do when we were bored."

"Well what about Jack …?"

Dylan frowned. "Jack was here. With you. Remember?"

"I know," Fi said quickly, trying to cover her tracks. "But you guys were always … on the phone?"

"That's because you were always out with your friends while Jack stayed home studying," Dylan said with annoyance.

_Some things never change_, Fi thought, smirking at the thought of Jack studying. Then she frowned.

"Wait, I was always out with my friends? You mean Candy?"

"I thought you and Candy weren't talking," Dylan said, frowning in confusion.

"Why wouldn't we be talking?" Fi asked, looking at him with surprise.

"Because of that stupid fight you two had over a boy." At this Dylan rolled his eyes. "Some boy who you ended up dumping after a week. You're my favorite sister, Fi, but sometimes you do stupid things."

"Favorite sister?" Fi asked, suddenly interested. "You mean you have another sister?"

"Well, favorite and only," Dylan clarified. "Why would you think we have another sister? You've been acting really weird."

"I'm fine," Fi said quickly. "I just … I need to figure a few things out. Maybe if I talk to Clu -."

"Who?" Dylan asked, giving Fi a strange look.

"Clu. He's probably over at his house, right? He always helps me … What?"

"Who's Clu?" Dylan asked. Then he raised his eyebrow. "Is he another one of your boyfriends?"

"Clu?" Fi asked with a laugh. "Oh, definitely not! Wait. _Another_ one of my boyfriends? Dylan, I've only ever had _one_ boyfriend."

"Yeah, one boyfriend a month," Dylan said, rolling his eyes as he sat up. "I'm going to go see if Carey wants to -."

"What about Clu?" Fi asked; her eyes wide.

"Who's Clu?" Dylan asked, annoyance now creeping into his voice.

"Clu Bell. Carey's brother?"

At this Dylan started laughed, patting Fi on the back. "Good one, Fi. Like Carey could have a brother."

"What do you mean? What happened to Clu?"

"You must have been dreaming, Fi. Carey doesn't have any siblings, and Ned only has one son. _Carey_."

Fi's mouth fell open as she stared after Dylan as he walked off, laughing.e gave her


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

"Who were you expecting, the Easter bunny?" Carey grunted. He stood and dropped all the groceries onto the table, Clu quickly following his example. Carey shook his head. "I thought you and Jack were going out to …"

His voice trailed off as he finally looked at Clu. "What's going on?"

Clu noticed the difference in his brother, as well. Although he sounded just as he always did, his face had aged. Not too much, about six or seven years. But he'd still aged. He even had a bit of a mustache growing. Clu blinked in surprise, before taking a step back. Carey grabbed his shoulder and leaned in, looking his younger brother over. After a moment he let go and stumbled into a chair, his eyes wide.

"Fi's not going to believe this."

"Fi? She's here?" Clu asked, looking around as if she would appear at any moment.

"How did this happen?" Carey demanded.

"Dude, I wish I knew!" Clu exclaimed. "One minute we were all leaving this dream and the next -."

"The dream plane?" Carey asked suddenly, his eyes lighting up with some sort of recognition.

"Yeah. I thought Fi was right behind me, you know? And Jack and Annie … but I haven't seen any of them," Clu said.

"You're not going to," Carey replied, rubbing his temples. "So you're from the past?"

"The past," Clu repeated, a slow grin creeping over his features. "Does that mean we're in the future? Cool!"

"Whoa, don't go jumping into things just yet!" Carey said quickly, grabbing Clu's shirt as if he expected him to run off.

"So why are you living in the old cabin?" Clu asked, looking around thoughtfully.

"I don't live here," Carey replied. "Jack and -." He quickly stood. "How much have you seen?"'

"Not much," Clu admitted. "So this is Jack's pad, huh? I never thought he'd want to come back here. After all that weird stuff that happened."

"Yeah, which is exactly why he came back," Carey replied, his voice slightly strained.

"Does Fi live here too?" Clu asked, looking hopeful.

Carey shook his head, still a little dazed. "No, she doesn't live here. But she's going to be here for Abigail's birthday party."

"The baby upstairs?" Clu asked, sounding interested. "She was cute."

"You've seen Abigail?" Carey asked.

"Yeah. Whose is she? She's not yours, right?"

"We need to find a way to get you back," Carey said stiffly, now standing.

"Carey, is that you?" A voice called from the hall.

"You have to hide!" Carey said, grabbing his younger brother and dragging him out the door.

"What? Why?"

"Because if she sees you, here, at your age, she's going to freak out," Carey snapped, about to slam the sliding glass door shut.

"Wait, who?" Clu asked with slight confusion. "Fi?"

"No, Annie," Carey replied. He pushed Clu out the door and then quickly closed the curtains, turning just as Annie walked in.

"Hey, I thought I heard voices. Is Clu here?" Annie asked, looking around the room hopefully.

"No, not yet," Carey replied, crossing over to the table where he'd left the groceries.

"Here, let me help you," Annie offered, quickly grabbing several things and pulling open the fridge door. "Jack's upstairs. He's so excited – Abby's first birthday. I'm excited, too, of course. But Jack's been going off on one of his lectures again, and I'm not sure how much more I can take. You'd better have a talk with him."

"I will," Carey promised. "Is Fi here, yet?"

"No. Her plane from Seattle isn't supposed to be in until two. Molly called about an hour ago, though. Apparently she's running late and probably won't be here until seven or eight. I've told her a thousand times to just take a plane, but you know how she is. She just won't leave that old tour bus."

"What about your parents?" Carey asked. Annie turned and gave him a startled look. "Were they able to make it out of Egypt?"

"They were actually in England," Annie replied, her movements slowed slightly, as if she were in thought. Then she shook her head. "I'm pretty sure they said they'd be up in about two hours."

"What about Irene?"

"She's still on the bus with Ned and Molly. Gabe's coming, too."

"It doesn't bother you in the least that your husband's ex is coming?" Carey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Should it?" Annie asked, keeping her voice level.

"No," Carey replied. He turned to peer out the window, seeing that Clu had gone.

"You know, Carey," Annie spoke softly, but he could tell just by the tone in her voice what she was getting at.

"Don't start with that again," Carey said warningly.

"We're just worried about you," Annie replied. "Not just me and Jack, either. I've spoken with Fi, and she thinks -."

"I'll deal with it," Carey replied. He bit back a scowl and instead turned, giving Annie a light grin. "In the mean time, why don't we try and concentrate on Abigail? It is her birthday, after all."

SO WEIRD

Fi tried to smile as she watched Jack and her parents goofing around. It was so weird to see … her Mom and her Dad. Together. She wanted to be a part of that picture, but she was so confused, she couldn't even begin to enjoy this little blessing. She'd noticed several other variations as she'd gone through her day. For instance, nobody seemed to mention Irene. It was always Ned and Carey. Not to mention the extreme shades of pink and red that she found in her wardrobe. None of this was right. She knew it right away. But for the most of the day she'd let herself be led into a false sense of security, enjoying this new side of her family. Even getting to know Dylan. She'd pushed away how she knew everything was wrong. She'd let herself fall right into the lie, and she, shamefully, had enjoyed it. Now, however, there was something nagging at the back of her mind. Something that was telling her that none of this was right. And she hated to do it, but she was listening.

She knew this wasn't right, and she had known from the start. But she couldn't sit here and enjoy it, not when she knew there was something missing.

"Hey shrimp," Someone said, rubbing their hand into her hair and taking a seat beside her. Fi looked up with some surprise to see Carey. Behind him she could see Mr. Bell unloading some food from his truck.

"Hey, Carey," Fi said.

"What's wrong? You seem down," Carey acknowledged.

Fi considered the question, before turning, facing the older boy fully. "Carey, what kind of person do you see me as?"

"That's … a weird question. Why do you ask?"

"None of this is right," Fi said shaking her head. "I'm not supposed to be here."

"What, you're supposed to be on a date or something?" Carey asked with confusion.

"Never mind," Fi said, shaking her head. She turned her gaze back to her Father, watching as he pretended to throw out his back. As Molly and Jack led him to the picnic table he caught Fi's eye and gave her a wink. Fi smiled back.

"My Dad's really cool, isn't he?"

Carey gave Fi a surprised look. "Cool? Your Dad? Yeah, I guess Mr. P is alright. I never thought I'd hear _you_ admit it, though."

"Why not?"

"Well you're always saying how dorky he is," Carey replied.

"My Dad is not dorky," Fi snapped, giving Carey a dirty look.

"Hey, I'm just repeating what you always say. I think your Dad's awesome. So is your mother."

Fi looked down, trying not to smile with some relief. "Ned's pretty cool, too, you know."

Carey laughed. "Yeah, Dad's alright."

"Do you remember how excited he got when Clu got into college?" Fi asked, smiling at the memory. Carey only frowned in reply.

"Why are you bringing him up?" He asked; his voice dark.

Fi couldn't help but brighten up at the thought, though. "So he still is here. I mean, he still exists? Dylan said -."

"Shh!" Carey snapped. "If Dad was to hear you talking about Mom and … Why _are_ you talking about them, anyways?"

"Carey, I need to tell you something, and it's something that I can't tell Jack, or my Mom, or even my Dad. It has to do with the paranormal."

The older boy gave her a confused look. "The paranormal?" He repeated. "So why don't you talk to Dylan about it? You know how he's into all that supernatural junk."

Fi turned and watched as Dylan came running out of the house in swim trunks, tossing a water balloon at Rick and Jack. She smiled slightly, wishing she'd gotten a better chance to know Dylan. Wishing they'd all get a chance to know each other.

Dylan shrieked as Rick and Jack pulled out water balloons. He ran straight for Fi and Carey, jumping behind the two as if they would be a shield. "Save me!" He wailed.

"Give me a balloon," Fi said, grabbing one of the spare balloons Dylan had in a bag. Dylan looked at her with awe as she jumped off of the picnic table and went after her father and Jack.

Once again Fi pushed back all her worries and began to enjoy her family, all thoughts of Clu forgotten.

SO WEIRD

Annie looked up with some surprise as Jack burst into the room, quietly closing the door and leaning against it. He stayed there for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath, before finally turning to meet Annie's eye.

"So?" Annie asked, standing.

"I think I know where we are," Jack finally said.

"Where?"

"You might want to sit down," Jack advised.

"It can't be that bad -."

"It is."

Annie sunk back down onto the bed, waiting impatiently for Jack's response. The older boy swallowed hard, trying not to clench his fists.

"We are, like we thought, in the time of Jacob and Anne," He said slowly.

"So when _is_ that?"

"You've heard Arthurian legend, right?"

Annie stared at him, eyebrows raised dully. "So … you're saying it's not a legend?"

"Not here it isn't," Jack replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Unless I just had a meeting with a bunch of guys who believe they're part of the kingdom of Camelot, and they're about to be attacked by Mordrid Le Fey, then no, I'm not sure."

"And there's no sign of Fi or Clu?" Annie asked, looking concerned.

"Not that I've seen," Jack replied.

"This is a disaster!" Annie exclaimed. "We were supposed to go right home. Why didn't we go right home?"

"I don't know," Jack snapped. "You're more into this paranormal junk than I am."

"That doesn't mean I know everything, Jack!" Annie sapped. "Fi's the one who always has the answers."

"This is a disaster," Jack said, slumping down to the floor.

"Do you still have the key?" Annie asked, looking hopeful.

"No," Jack replied. "I think I lost it." He pulled a chain out from under his shirt, showing Annie the old necklace that Jacob's sister, Sarah, had given him before he left. "This is all there is."

"Maybe we're here for some reason," Annie suggested.

"And what would that be?" Jack scoffed.

"I don't know," Annie said; a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I've listened to you go on about what's _supposed_ to happen, and what we're _meant_ to do. Now you're telling me you don't have any insight on this. A lot of good your paranormal garbage has done us," Jack said.

"Trying to put all this on me isn't going to get us out of this mess," Annie snapped.

"No, but it sure is making me feel better," Jack replied.

"You're such a jerk!" Annie exclaimed, tossing a pillow at his head. He ducked away just before it could hit him. He jumped up, giving Annie an annoyed look.

"Out of all the people I had to get stuck with, why did it have to be you?"

"I'm asking myself the same question," Annie snapped.

"You're so … infuriating!" Jack snapped, pulling open the door to leave and coming face to face with two maids. The two girls exchanged concerned looks, one trying to keep from giggling.

"Is there a problem here?" The more serious one asked.

"N-no," Jack stammered, turning and looking back at Annie to see she was watching him, waiting to see what he was going to do.

"Did you want us to … leave you two alone?" The giggly one asked. The other girl kicked her not-so-subtly in the shin.

"There will be no more of ye two bein' alone," She replied. "Direct orders from the Lady Anne's father."

"What?" Annie asked, jumping off the bed with her eyes wide.

"Tis not proper, Milady," The giggly one said.

"Proper!?' Annie exclaimed, her eyes fuming.

"Fine," Jack said, giving a nod. "I won't spend any time alone with her." He turned and gave Annie a smirk – one that the maids could not see. "Enjoy your time alone, Lady Anne."

"Jack?" Annie said; her voice slightly hysterical as Jack stepped out into the hallway. "_Jack_!?"

As Jack walked down the hall he grinned, unable to contain his mirth.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks to Fire Daughter and mangoskin93 for taking the time to review. Hope to have the chap up shortly.

CHAPTER FIVE

"Thought ye could avoid me, did ye?" Someone asked, causing Jack to look up with some surprise, dropping the necklace as he did so. He turned sharply to see the man who had encountered him and Annie just the day before. There was a smirk on his face, but Jack felt nervous about the dark look burning in his eyes.

"I'm sorry?" Jack finally asked.

"Word going 'round is that ye and the Lady Anne had a bit of a squabble last night," He finally said, taking a seat across from Jack. It was just the two of them in the den, Jack having come down there to try and think.

"There was a slight disagreement," Jack replied.

"The way the maids make it sound, it was almost as if there was a lover's quarrel. It seems to be raising questions among the house," The man said. He leaned over. "Things could get outta hand if such a scandal spread about."

Jack frowned. "Who are you?"

"Is that really the way to treat such an old friend?" The man asked, leaning back.

"Old friend?" Jack repeated, his face twisting to uncertainty.

"I'm hurt," The man said. "I figured us to be rather close. Perhaps not in ranks, of course, but I didn't think ye would be keeping secrets from me."

"What secret?" Jack demanded, now getting slightly annoyed.

"About ye an' Anne!" The man suddenly hissed, accent coming in much thicker, he lurched forward and grabbing onto Jack's collar. He was so shocked that he almost fell out of his chair, but managed to catch his balance at the last second. "Ye know I ser the two of ye the night of yer return. Yer not allowed to 'ave 'er."

"What are you talking about?" Jack demanded, swatting the man's hand away and jumping out of the chair. The man quickly followed suit, moving around the table and grabbing hold of Jack again, pushing him into the wall with superhuman strength.

"I saw ye kiss 'er. Ye know the ranks of the court."

"I never kissed Annie," Jack hissed.

"No," The man said, loosening his grip. "But Jacob did, and that is all that these people care 'bout, Jack."

Jack stopped resisting and just stood there, looking dumbly at the man. "How … how did you know?" His eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Does it matter? Ye are gunna do as I says. The both of ye are, if ye know what's for the best. If ye don't wanna destroy yer life, you'd best do as yer told, understood?"

Jack suddenly found his strength and used it to push the man off of him, eyes wild. "You can't do anything to me," He snapped.

"We can leave the young Miss Annie out of this if ye choose to cooperate. Dun not argue with me, Jack Phillips." Then he laughed. "Yer arrival seems to have come at such an opportune time, duntcha agree, lad?"

"Who are you?" Jack asked.

"It's not who I am, Jack. It's what I'm going to do, and how yer gunna help me do it."

"Why would I help you?" Jack demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Because if ye ever wanna get back home, _Jack_, or even if you wanna keep Annie safe, then yer gonna do as I say, oy? What 'appened in a time like this, nuthin' like yer own is of no consequence te ye. What do ye say, lad? Are ye gunna help an old spirit destroy this kingdom?"

SO WEIRD

Somehow Clu found himself in town, seeing what had changed and what had remained the same over the years. He was shocked to see that so little had actually changed. Even the old school looked the same – not even a paint job was present. He settled down on an old bench, watching as several kids ran past. It was a nice day out, though he couldn't tell if it was a Spring Day or summer. Still, it was incredibly comfortable, and for one brief moment - as Clu watched those kids run past – he wished he was back in high school.

Even before the tour he and Jack had been best friends. With him, Jack and Fi, school had been fun. They were always doing things to get themselves into trouble, and that was before Fi became obsessed with paranormal. Still, he'd stuck by her side then, just as he would now. He'd stick with all of them, because despite the changes that had happened in the past year, they were all in this together, whatever this was.

"Mind if I join you?"

Clu looked up, slightly startled to see a young woman take a seat beside him, her slightly curled, shoulder length brown hair falling into her eyes as she did so. He quickly looked away, not wanting to frighten the woman. She couldn't have been younger than twenty-two. Twenty-three at the oldest. She leaned against the bench with an audible sigh, before glancing at Clu out of the corner of her eye.

"This place never changes," She said quietly. Clu nodded in agreement. The woman beside him let out a slight laugh. "Not the town - _never_ this town. The people, of course, but anyone could go away for a year and come back … it's home."

"Home is where the heart is," Clu said with a little chuckle.

"The heart," The woman said quietly. "Then I guess I can't remember the last time I was really home. It's been so long."

"You know, I grew up in this town," Clu said quickly. Then, as an after thought added, "Well, sort of."

The woman smiled and Clu had to turn and actually look at her. "Just because you haven't been here for the past seven years doesn't mean that you didn't grow up here. This is always going to be your home, Clu."

"Fi?" Clu asked, finally recognizing his old friend from under the makeup and business suit.

She grinned, throwing her arms around him with a light laugh. "I didn't think you would come."

"You know who I am?" Clu asked, pulling away with a grin. "I mean, where I came from."

"Like I'd forget," Fi said; her eyes wide and warm. She gently touched his cheek, her eyes watering slightly. "You look so much younger than what I'm used to." Then she seemed to realize what she was doing and she pulled her hand away, choosing to wipe at her eyes. "I take it you've seen Carey, then?"

"How'd you know?" Clu asked with some surprise.

"The same way I knew you'd be here. A little bird told me," Fi replied. She stood, holding her hand out and helping Clu up as well.

"I was just thinking about when we were in school," Clu said. "Or, when all three of us were in school."

Fi laughed. "I've missed you a lot, Clu," She said, pulling him into a hug.

"Haven't you been able to talk to my future self?" Clu asked, frowning in confusion.

Fi pulled back, looking unsure. Finally she forced a smile, managing, "Oh, conflicts of schedules …"

Clu thought this over, but decided not to think on it too much. "So this is the future? Any flying cars?"

Fi laughed. "Have I ever told you you're my best friend? Come on, why don't we take a walk around town?"

"Don't you have to head up to Abigail's party?" Clu asked.

At this Fi seemed startled. "You know about Abigail?"

"Well, I saw her for a few minutes. Carey was saying that everyone was coming up for her party," Clu replied.

Fi nodded, swallowing slightly. "It's sort of weird being an aunt," She said, looking thoughtful. "I feel like I should have even more responsibility."

"Do you have any kids?"

"Me?" Fi asked with some surprise. "No. No, me and kids aren't … I mean, that's more Annie's thing. She and Jack make great parents."

"Annie and Jack," Clu repeated, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Annie and Jack hook up. Cool. Then Abigail must be their baby. Wait, then that would mean that Annie and Jack live in the old house, now?"

"When Annie's not on tour they do," Fi replied. "She took a year off from singing so her and Jack could spend the proper amount of time with the baby. You don't know how disappointed her fans were."

"Annie's a singer? What's Jack do?"

"Oh, you know Jack … he could be whatever he wanted to be. For now he's just content being Annie's publicist. Your Mom's her manager, actually."

"Is Carey a world famous guitarist yet?" Clu asked, looking hopeful.

Fi seemed to think it over, not sure how much she should reveal, before finally shaking her head. "Not exactly. Carey was on the right track for a while working as Annie's main guitarist, but … well, what Carey does with his life isn't really anybody's business, I guess."

At this Clu frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked, but Fi was determined not to talk about it, and instead she changed the subject.

"So exactly what time period are you from. You're still a teenager."

"Not fair!" Clu exclaimed. "I'm in college."

"First year?" Fi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well … I just _ended_ my first year," Clu lamented.

At this Fi straightened up, suddenly alert. "You mean … Aunt Melinda's?" She asked.

"Yeah. Actually, we were in this weird dream plane and then I guess we all got separated because …" He trailed off, catching the dark look on Fi's face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Fi said quickly, shaking it off and giving Clu a forced smile. "Umm … you hungry? If I remember correctly, you're always hungr-."

"What happens?" Clu asked, face more serious than he could ever remember being in his whole life. He took Fi's arm in his and looked her face over.

Fi narrowed her eyes and pulled away. "You never change, do you?" She snapped. "That time or this, you're still the same. God, why do you always have to -?" She stopped, and forced herself to have some control. "Look, let's just get something to eat, alright?"

Clu stumbled back. He could never remember seeing Fi that angry, at least not with him. Jack maybe, but even then she hadn't been angry. More like sad. This was something he couldn't quite explain. What had changed in the future to make her so … different?

"Come on," Fi said, trying to look apologetic. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Let's just get something to eat, alright? Then we can head up to Abigail's party and … do whatever you're here to do."

"How do you know I'm _here_ to do something? I could be here to change the past -."

"The past is fine the way it is," Fi snapped, giving him an annoyed look. "If there's anything you have to do, its fix something here and now."

SO WEIRD

Fi sat up just as her mother came into the room with a basket full of clean laundry. She smiled at her daughter, and Fi smiled back in return.

"Hey baby," She greeted, setting the basket down on Fi's desk and taking a seat next to her. "What are you working on?"

"Oh," Fi said, looking down at the notebook and quickly closing it. She sat up. "Just some stuff for school."

"Isn't it a little too early to be working on school stuff?" Molly asked, raising her eyebrows.

Fi laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess."

Molly brushed Fi's hair out of her face and then stood. "Well I guess I'll leave you to your work."

"Hey Mom?" Fi asked. Molly stopped and looked back at her daughter.

"Hmm?"

Fi hesitated, glancing down at the closed notebook. Then she looked back to her mother with resolve. "I love you."

Molly smiled. "And you know I love you. Now why don't you start putting those clothes away?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Fi couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright," Fi agreed, standing and walking over to the desk just as Dylan bolted into the room, throwing himself onto the bed and causing the notebook to bounce up and then fall to the floor.

"Dylan, don't jump on the furniture," Molly scolded, giving the younger boy an annoyed look.

"Sorry Mom," Dylan said sheepishly. "I just wanted to talk to Fi."

Molly smiled and exited the room, leaving Dylan and Fi alone.

Once she was gone all happiness vanished from Dylan's face and le looked accusingly at Fi. "Where's my sister?" He demanded.

Fi looked at him with surprise. Could it really be that obvious? "I don't know what -."

"Yes you do," Dylan snapped. "You're not my sister. At least not the sister I've known my whole life. What are you, a demon?"

Fi blinked. Was this how she sounded when she went on her paranormal tirades? She suddenly blushed slightly at the thought. Then she shook her head, hastily picking up the notebook.

"You caught me," She finally said. Dylan nodded his head approvingly, waiting for her to continue. "I'm your sister, but not the one you knew. How did you figure it out?"

"My sister might be a little weird sometimes, but not as weird as you've been today. So what are you?"

"I'm from another dimension," Fi finally said, taking a seat next to Dylan on the bed. "At least, I think I am. Either that or I'm having a really weird dream."

"I'd opt for the first one, personally," Dylan replied.

Fi held the notebook out to Dylan. "I've been trying to catalogue the differences between your world and mine, but I'm having some trouble. Could you help?"

"Sure," Dylan said. Then he hesitated. "If I help you, I get my sister back, right?"

"I hope," Fi replied.

Dylan nodded his head, and looked the paper over. He suddenly frowned. "No Dylan?" He asked, giving Fi a questioning look.

"I actually think that's how all this started," Fi replied. "Somehow Dad avoided his accident, which means he and Mom are still together. They could have you."

"What accident?" Dylan questioned.

"Um," Fi hesitated, spinning the ring on her finger. "Back in my world, Dad died in a car accident when I was really little."

Dylan paled. "Oh," He finally said, looking down at the notebook. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Fi said quickly. "I mean, it's been hard, but Mom, Jack and I have survived. And it's been great meeting you. I wish we could have gotten to know each other more. I always wanted to be a big sister."

"Really?" Dylan asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Fi replied. "After all, why should Jack have all the fun?"

Dylan giggled. "So that's where the differences start?"

"I think so," Fi said, leaning over the notebook. "I think everything up until then is normal. Except for Clu."

"The kid you were asking about earlier?" Dylan asked.

Fi nodded. "Yeah. I tried talking to Carey about it earlier and he didn't want to. Clu is still alive here, I just don't know where."

"You should ask Jack," Dylan said. "He'd probably know."

"Yeah, but his reaction will probably be the same as Carey's."

"It couldn't hurt," Dylan pointed out.

Fi sighed. "Maybe. Maybe if I knew what happened to Irene -."

"Who's Irene?" Dylan asked.

"Clu and Carey's mom. I thought she was still our Mom's manager, but apparently -."

"Oh. You mean Evelyn," Dylan snickered.

Fi froze, giving Dylan a startled look. "What?"

"Yeah, Evelyn. She's been Mom's manager since I can remember!"


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I'm sorry if this all seems rushed, and doesn't sound as good as it may have before. I'm trying to finish it up while I still have the time, lol. Anyhoo, hope you enjoy!!!

CHAPTER SIX

Fi tried not to let her jaw fall open in surprise. "What?"

Jack gave her an annoyed look, before going back to organizing his CD's. "I just told you. Dad fired Irene after some argument they got into. Why are you even asking?"

"Well it just occurred to me that Carey's mom is never around," Fi countered. She shook he head. "So what happened to her?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"I mean if she got fired as manager, then she should still be with Ned and Carey, right?" Fi demanded.

Jack finally turned and faced Fi fully. "Huh?"

"Why aren't Irene and Clu with Ned and Carey?" Fi demanded.

"Clu?" Jack repeated, suddenly slumping down into his chair. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and laughed. "I can't remember the last time I heard anyone say that name."

A horrible feeling settled into Fi's stomach even as a soft smile spread across her brother's lips.

"We used to hang out all the time, didn't we?" Jack asked.

"Where is he?" Fi asked, sitting down across from her brother.

Jack shook his head. "With Irene, I'm sure. After the divorce Ned and Irene thought it would be best for Ned to take Carey, and Irene to take Clu. None of us have heard from them since." He frowned, looking at Fi. "Why?"

"Ned and Irene got divorced?" Fi asked; a chill settling down her spine. Her mind was in a daze.

"You don't remember?"

"No," Fi said quietly. "No, I guess I don't."

"It was brutal," Jack replied, shaking his head. "Nobody ever wants to talk about it. Can't say I blame them."

"Why?" Fi asked. "I mean, why did they get divorced?"

Jack shrugged. "I think they were arguing too much. After Irene got fired, things went downhill for the Bells. I think it was right after the divorce that Mom and Dad went back on tour, and had Ned be their driver. He's been doing it ever since."

Fi frowned. "You don't have any idea where Clu or Irene could be?"

Jack shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine," He said. "Why are you looking for them, anyways? I thought you hated Clu."

"I did?" Fi asked with surprise.

Jack laughed. "After he put that beetle in your hair? Yeah, you two _loathed_ each other."

"It would figure," Fi muttered to herself. "The one person who could help me is the one person who is nowhere around."

SO WEIRD

"Stay there," Jack advised, giving Annie a pointed look before moving across the large room. The blond gave him a startled look, but stayed where she was, watching as Jack hastily made his way to an elderly man's side.

"I need your help," Jack whispered in Arthur's ear. The King gave him a surprised look, before dismissing the others around him.

"Jacob, whatever is wrong?" He asked.

Jack's gaze drifted to Annie, to see if she was still safe where she was, before turning back to Arthur.

"I think there's a traitor in your courts," Jack explained.

"No," Arthur breathed, grasping Jack's arm heavily. "But we've been so careful. Jacob, tell me this is a joke."

"I'm afraid not, sir," Jack said. "In fact, I think it's important that you know -."

"My lord!" Someone called loudly from across the room. Jack and Arthur looked up, surprised to see the man Jack had spoken with earlier dash into the room, eyes wide and full of haste. He nearly collapsed at Arthur's side, just managing to jerk the older man away from Arthur.

"My Lord," He panted. "There is tragic news about the castle."

"Tragic news?" Arthur repeated. Jack frowned. "Sir Henry, do indulge."

"Tis Morgan Le Fey, my lord," He declared. "She hath captured the heartland and is heading for the castle as we speak."

"Preposterous!" Arthur roared, his hand going to the sword attached at his side. He gave Jack a hurried look. "How can this be possible?"

"A spy, my lord," Sir Henry interrupted. He met Jack's eyes. "Someone who hath been deceiving you from the very start, I'm afraid. He opened the kingdom to Morgan while faking a leave."

"Who?" Arthur asked with surprise.

The court had fallen silent, watching the exchange with worry. Annie attempted to ease across the room, hoping to come to Jack's side but she was held back as Anne's mother arrived, putting a sharp hand down on her daughter's shoulder and keeping her stationary.

"What is going on?" She demanded.

"Something's wrong," Annie breathed, her eyes seeking out Jack's.

Her Mother frowned, turning to the maids beside her. "Take my daughter up to her room and ensure that she is safely kept inside."

"What?" Annie exclaimed, pulling away.

"Do not defy your orders," Her Mother growled.

Annie gave a defiant look, before darting away, praying no one would catch her as she pushed past to the front of the crowd. Jack shot her a warning glance, but she didn't remain where she was.

"What's going on?" Annie demanded.

"Nothing to concern yourself, Lady Anne," King Arthur growled, turning to Sir Henry. "Speak."

"It has been yer Jacob, milord," Sir Henry gasped. "Yer most trusted warrior. He has let Morgan through the boundaries and to our death!"

"What!?" King Arthur growled, spinning on Jack. Annie slunk to his side, trying to take his hand but was pulled back by one of the bystanders. It was best not to get in the way of the king's fury.

Jack seemed surprised as well, shooting 'Sir Henry' a dirty look.

"His visit to his family's farm, my lord," Sir Henry continued. "The farm was burned to the ground when my men arrived. He could not have visited it. He was with Morgan, plotting."

"It's a lie," Jack exclaimed, looking at Henry with surprise. "You're the traitor! You just asked me if -."

"Why would I lie?" Sir Henry countered, looking pointedly at Jack. For a moment he could make out the dangerous smirk across Henry's face. But then it vanished, and he threw himself at the King. "Please, my lord. I can prove to you your subject's betrayal."

Everyone seemed interested in this, even Jack.

"How?"

"The Lady Anne, my lord," Sir Henry replied.

Annie froze.

"Jacob has fallen for her. Yet he is not of noble birth, and they can never be together. He figured the only way to get what he wanted was to work for Morgan. Believe it, milord, for I have seen the two locked in embrace of the lips."

"It is true!" Someone called from the crowd. One of the maids stepped forward. "He comes calling almost every night."

The wheels in the King's head began to turn, and he shot Jack a startled look, recalling their conversation earlier their day. "So it would seem."

"No!" Jack snapped. "He's lying! It's all a lie."

"You are banished," The King said harshly, giving Jack a dirty look. "I trusted you."

"But I didn't -."

"Throw him out to the wolves for all I care. He can have his precious Morgan, and leave this kingdom in peace."

"My lord, but Morgan's troops -."

"Rally my knights," Arthur replied, looking to Sir Henry with a dangerous look as several guards grabbed onto Jack, pulling him back against his will. "See to it that the women and children are taken care of. We must prepare for battle!"

"No!" Annie exclaimed, trying to grab onto Jack only to be pulled back roughly by Henry. He gave her a dangerous look. "Maybe ye should be on yer way, lil' Annie. Afore yer own secret is discovered."

Annie froze, giving him a startled look and he smirked, turning to Jack.

"Ye should have gone along wit' it, Jack," He whispered. Jack's eyes widened, and then narrowed as he began to struggle further.

"See to it that he's taken from my sight. Make haste!" Sir Henry declared, before turning away from the fumbling crowd, a snake-like smile spreading across his face.

SO WEIRD

Clu followed close behind Fi, trying to come up with something to say that would make her explain. She hadn't spoken much since yelling at him. Anything the two had said was inconsequential, and seemed rather insignificant. It was clear she didn't want to talk about whatever had happened.

"How's the weather?"

Fi gave him a slightly annoyed look, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry I snapped."

"I'm sure you had your reasons," Clu replied. "I'm not sure I see what they _are_, but -."

"Some things can't be risked," Fi explained. "You and the others are going to go through something really big soon, and it cannot be altered, no matter what. It is of absolute importance that things follow through as they did that day."

"But everyone is so miserable," Clu countered. "And what's wrong with Carey? I heard Annie -."

Fi hesitated, almost as if she didn't want to reveal it, but then she shook her head. "A little over a year ago something happened to someone, and he had a hard time dealing with it. I can't tell if he's getting better or worse."

Clu let the words roll in his brain. Obviously it was something Fi wanted to change, or she wouldn't have given him the slight hint. In fact, she seemed quite troubled.

"Who? Is it anyone I know?" He didn't want to think harm had come to someone he'd been friends with.

Fi offered Clu a small glance from the driver's seat, before shaking her head. "I don't think so. Now we need to discuss something. A lot has changed from your time period, and I think it's important that -."

She cut off, slamming on the brakes and almost causing the two to smash through the window. They were both lucky, as their seatbelts pulled them back down. Fi looked up in shock through her dark bangs and caught the very end of something disappear into the woods on the side of the road.

Clu looked up, following Fi's haunted gaze. "What just happened?" He asked in a stupor.

"It couldn't – it's not possible," Fi whispered. Her fingers drifted to the ring on her finger and she subconsciously began to twist it. Her eyes were wide and fearful, such a terrified look across her face that Clu couldn't help the shiver that ran down his own spine.

"The shadow," Fi murmured.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Sorry it's so short, guys. But it's all leading up to the end here, so bear with me. Thanks to all my reviewers so far: InStrFan, MissingCancelledShows, WalkingWit, Lanakila91, Fire Daughter, and mangoskin93. Keep reviewing, it makes this easier!

CHAPTER SEVEN

"This is just really weird," The voice at the other end declared, and Fi couldn't help but laugh, holding the cell phone closer to her head as the bus pulled into the empty lot.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's all true. I could really use your help," Fi said.

Fi had been living her life as it would have been if her Father hadn't died for almost two weeks now. While she found it great spending so much time with her Dad, she was becoming concerned with the fact that this was not her world and she was missing her friends. So she decided she was going to have to at least find out what had changed in this world that was so different from hers.

At the other end Annie grinned, falling back on her bed and kicking her legs into the air. "I don't know a lot about alternate dimensions," She admitted. "It's been a while since I've gotten to look through my Mom's book of theories, but if what you say is true, then it sounds like your spirit self from the dream plane has fallen into the body of your alternate personality. Chances are that doorway you went through jumps into all forms of existence, not just dream planes and your version of reality."

"But how come you and Jack and Clu haven't followed through?" Fi demanded.

Annie shrugged, and then remembered Fi couldn't see her. "Chances are they arrived in different planes. They could wind up anywhere, actually - the past, future … alternate forms of our present like you did. Places where every decision we make affects the outcome of our timelines. They could be anywhere."

"Clu had been right behind me," Fi said quietly. "Isn't there a slight chance that he's in this world, too?"

"There's always a chance," Annie stated cheerfully. "It may not be a high chance, though. Doors to alternate places are highly subjective."

"Not what I want to hear," Fi said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry," Annie replied, suddenly sympathetic. "Personally, I'm glad you were willing to tell me all about this. I think my Mom is planning to visit you guys sometime this summer. Maybe I could stop by and we could hang out. Well, if you're still here."

"Believe it or not, but it was nice to hear your voice," Fi replied.

"It was nice to be helpful. Even if it wasn't _very_ helpful," Annie giggled. "So what are you going to do?"

"First I'm going to find Clu," Fi said, swinging her backpack over her shoulder and stepping off the bus, looking around hesitantly. If her mother found out that she wasn't actually with Candy at the mall, she was going to be dead. But it was a chance she had to take. And Annie had been very useful.

Apparently the blond had gone to school with Clu for a year before her parents moved to Cairo. It may be a bit of a stretch, because it was almost six months ago, but at least now Fi had something to go off of. She just hoped Jack or Carey didn't get wind of what she was up to. Annie may be a good friend, but she could have a big mouth from time to time.

"I have a feeling that somehow he holds the answers I'm looking for," Fi replied.

"Let's hope he does," Annie said. She looked up as her mother passed the door, giving Annie a pointed. "Umm, I have to get going, actually. Mom wants me to help her move some artifacts into the other room." She rolled her eyes, and Fi laughed.

"Don't worry about it," Fi replied. "Thanks for the help, though."

"Luck!" Annie exclaimed, before hanging up the phone.

Fi shook her head with a slight smile, tucking the phone away and looking around the dull high school. According to Annie, Clu had failed the eighth grade, and had just graduated this year. His favorite past time when they'd gone to school together had been playing soccer, and Annie figure he probably still did that. She had said it was something he did everyday up by the school. It wasn't much to go on, but it was a start.

It had come as a surprise when Annie had called her up earlier that day, demanding to know what was wrong. Apparently in this world Annie had become a very studious girl like her parents, and not only could she read through things without any problem, but she had also become extremely intuitive. She'd had a dream about her friend from elementary school, and had decided to look Fi up, concerned that something was amiss.

Fi peered around the abandoned school, her hopes suddenly dropping. There was still a chance that someone was on the other side of the school, but from what she could see of the soccer fields, they were deserted. Still, she gave it a shot.

She walked all around the school, eyes taking in every detail of the place her friend had grown up. It was different than home. More run-down and less pleasant. She tried to suppress a shiver.

"Are you looking for something?"

Fi turned around, startled, to see a dark haired boy giving her a confused look. "I usually know everyone who goes to this school. Where are you from?"

"I'm actually looking for someone," Fi replied, trying to smile. The boy just narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever heard of Cluett Bell?"

A grin suddenly broke out on the kid's face. "Who hasn't!?" He exclaimed. "He brought our school to nationals in soccer, and he's the only one who got a scholarship to _Princeton_. He's so cool!"

Fi felt relief settle through her. "That's great!" She exclaimed. "Do you know where I could find him?"

"Sure," The kid said. "He was down at the pizzeria about five minutes ago. There's a celebratory pizza party going on for him and the other seniors."

"Where's the pizza parlor?"

"Down the street," The kid said gesturing. "You can't miss it. It's got this huge 'Congratulations Seniors' banner hanging."

"Thanks," Fi said, hastily heading down the way the kid had pointed. She was going to see Clu. Maybe now she could find some answers.

SO WEIRD

"What exactly is the Shadow?" Clu demanded as Fi pushed open the door of the cottage. Fi shushed him, glancing around the room to make certain it was deserted. Apparently Annie, Jack, and Carey had run out for last minute party supplies.

She gestured for him to follow her, and he did so, scowling at the lack of answers he was receiving. Fi peered around the corners, before finally letting her shoulders slump. There was no one. She turned back around.

"It's a little complicated," She murmured, looking hesitantly around the room. "A few years ago there was this … I want to say epic battle, but it sounds so … anyway, there was a huge fight with the forces of good against the forces of evil. We won, but a lot of things changed. The shadow was one of the minions of the forces of evil. It was the same being that killed my Dad."

"What?" Clu asked, surprised. "I thought your Dad died in a car accident."

Fi shook her head, almost hesitant to explain the whole story to him. "I'm sorry, I really can't tell you any more than that."

"Why does it matter if this Shadow is out, though?" Clu asked with confusion. "I mean, if it's always been out -."

"We locked it away," Fi replied, giving Clu a pointed look. "It shouldn't be out. We have to warn Jack and Carey …"

She paused, looking the room. "No," She finally said. "No, we can't tell them. We can't worry them."

"But they could be in danger."

"It's Abigail's first birthday," Fi countered. "We can't do that to them. We can't let them worry about this."

"Worry about what?"

Fi and Clu froze, slowly turning to see Carey standing in the doorway where no one had heard him enter, Abigail in his arms. Fi swallowed hard.

"Carey," She started, taking a step forward. "How are -."

"What's going on?" He interrupted. The baby looked around in confusion, before settling her eyes on Clu. She began to gurgle, holding her hands out as if wanting Clu to hold her. He quickly took an uncertain step back.

"Carey, nothing is going -."

"Don't lie to me," Carey said in a cold voice. "I really don't appreciate it."

Clu looked between the two, beginning to sense something wasn't quite right. He'd never seen his brother and friend do anything other than get along. Now Carey was glowering and Fi was fidgeting. Something was off.

Fi finally relented, turning to Clu with a look of defeat. "Why don't you take Abigail up to her room?" She suggested.

"No way," Clu said, taking a few steps back. "I'm not good with kids. Last time I had to babysit it got replaced by a demon baby."

A small smirk spread across Fi's face, but she quickly shook it away. "You don't have to worry about that with Abigail. Please?"

Clu reluctantly nodded, taking the baby and heading out the door, giving his brother and friend one last look before disappearing out of sight.

"I saw the Shadow," Fi finally said, meeting Carey's eyes. She was expecting him to gape, or to let out an annoyed breath, maybe even swear. Instead he just shook his head, looking slightly guilty.

"I know," He finally said. "I've seen it too."

Fi's eyes widened in disbelief. "How long?"

Carey hesitated, then said, "A month. Maybe two, I've lost track of time."

"And you didn't say anything!?" Fi exclaimed.

"Who was I going to tell!?" Carey demanded. "Annie covers her ears and walks away anytime someone mentions something out of the ordinary, Jack would become so obsessed with finding an answer that Annie would probably leave him, You're all the way in Seattle, and Clu's -." He shook his head again. "Clu wouldn't be any help."

Fi swallowed hard, falling back onto the couch. She looked for a minute like she was going to cry, but then she shook it off, meeting Carey's eyes. "It killed my Dad. It almost killed all of us. How can it be back?"

SO WEIRD

Jack tried pressing on the door again, calling out furiously to anyone who may be in the surrounding area. Unfortunately everyone was preparing for battle, and there was no time to see that he was guarded. He let out a grunt, turning and sliding down the door, hopelessness settling in. There was no way he'd be able to get out of here. Not on his own – and he'd tried many times to get the door unlocked. Apparently they made doors rather thick in this age.

A gasp came from down the way. At first Jack thought nothing of it, but then he heard that very familiar voice cursing as she made her way down the dungeon.

"Annie!?" He called hesitantly.

"I can't see anything," The girl complained, brushing her fingers over the stone walls. "Keep talking so I can hear you."

"I'm right over here," Jack called, kicking his foot against the wall for added sound.

"Hold on, I think I'm -." She stopped, blinking through the dark and reaching out, her fingers sliding through the tiny bars on the window of the door. Jack captured them in his, relief suddenly flooding through him.

"You're okay?" He asked, rubbing his fingers over hers.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Annie said quietly. She leaned against the door. "What about you? They seemed really mad …"

"Just a few bumps and bruises," Jack replied.

The two fell silent. It was weird, feeling so comfortable with each other when one was locked away in a dungeon for being a traitor, and the other was supposed to be with all the other women and children hiding. However, both felt more comfortable than they had in a long time, and they simply relished it.

Finally Annie pulled her hand from Jack's and leaned in, trying to see his face through the dark. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"What's going on up there?" Jack asked. "Are they really preparing for a battle?"

Annie hesitated. "Morgan is supposedly coming. They expect her to arrive tonight when we're sleeping. Everything is so crazy, Jack. They're trying to run people out, and -."

"What about Henry?" Jack asked.

"Who?"

"The guy who set me up. The one who said I was the traitor," Jack replied.

"He's a total weird-o," Annie confirmed. "The guy has been standing outside my door waiting for me to get ready for the past half hour. I was lucky enough to sneak away. Just barely." She rolled her eyes.

"He can't be trusted," Jack said, reaching through the little window and grabbing hold of Annie's hand once more. "He knows who we are … where we're from. He was trying to trick me into helping him take down the kingdom, so I warned Arthur."

"I knew none of that stuff was true," Annie said. "I tried telling them that, too. No one would believe me. They just said I was a girl and I don't know what I'm talking about."

Jack could hear the frustration in her voice, and it echoed his. "We need to find a way out of here."

"We can't just leave them like this," Annie countered.

"I don't care about Anne and Jacob anymore. I want to go home," Jack replied.

Annie was silent for several moments. "But we got them into this mess," She said quietly. "History can't progress the way it should after we've made a royal mess of things just by being here. It wouldn't be fair to just drop them back into this sort of situation. This is life or death we're talking about. Anne and Jacob were supposed to live longer than _this_."

Jack didn't say anything for a moment. Then he just slumped against the door with a sigh. "You think you can find some keys and get me out of here?"

Annie grinned despite herself and patted Jack's hand. "I'll try to find something." Then she hastily turned on her heels and skipped away, trying not to trip over anything as she did so.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Sorry the chap is so short, but it's all setting up for the last scenes of pt II. Then we can move onto Open Doors part III!!! Thanks to InStrFan, and () for reviewing!

InStrFan: lol. Didn't realize it sounded like a lovers quarrel. I went back and re-read it. Started cracking up laughing because it actually _did_ sound like that, lol. Oh well. Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you love the story!

CHAPTER EIGHT

She wasn't exactly sure how to react. She could probably pull him into a hug and tell him she had never been so happy to see him before in her life … or she could just take a few steps back and wait until he got the pizza off his shirt.

"Who did you say you were?" Clu asked, shaking the cheese out of his hair and trying to wipe the sauce from his face. Apparently Fi had come in during the middle of a pizza fight. This worked out fine, because Clu was just about to get kicked out of the pizza parlor for starting it. He only grinned and walked out the door with Fi. No matter what alternate reality he was in, Clu was still a fun-loving guy.

"Fi Phillips. From Hope Springs?" She waited for recognition to dawn but nothing happened. "I'm friends with your brother."

Clu made a face for just a moment, and then grinned. "How is the big guy? Haven't heard from him since … well since I moved out here. How old is he now, anyways?" Then he paused, looking at Fi with confusion. "Wait, Carey has a girlfriend who's younger than me?"

"I'm _not_ his girlfriend," Fi said hastily. "He and my brother are just … I'm not that young."

Clu snickered, tugging his shirt off and trying to wring the pizza out of it. "Good to know," he replied. "So why'd you come all the way out here. It has to be, what, a three hour drive?"

"Three very long hours," Fi admitted. "I need to know what you know."

Clu blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"No one at the house will tell me what happened. Why did your parents get a divorce, Clu?"

The blond boy shrugged, pulling his shirt back over his head and frowning. "I don't know. They were always arguing because Mom lost some job or something. I barely remember any of it. Why?"

"I'm not sure you would believe me if I told you."

"Try me. I'll believe anything."

"You always did," Fi said to herself. Clu gave her a confused look, but chose not to say anything in response.

"How did you even know where I was?" Clu finally asked, giving her a confused look. "No one that way even talks to us anymore."

"This girl who used to go to school with you told me. You probably don't even remember her. Annie?"

Clu froze for a moment, giving Fi a startled look. "Annie _Thelan_?" He asked. "You know Annie Thelan?"

Something in Fi's stomach suddenly sunk. Not that she could explain it, or even want to dwell on it, but there was something in the way he said her name that just made Fi want to quickly say it was another Annie. But she couldn't do that. She couldn't lie to someone who had been one of her best friends back in her world. Things may be different in this world, and she couldn't let it affect her. "Yeah. You know who she is?"

Clu scoffed. "Are you kidding me? We went out for almost two years before she had to move. I haven't heard from her since!"

There was that sinking feeling again, only this time it somehow felt much worst. As she thought it over, she really couldn't ever remember Clu having a real girlfriend in her world. He had thought Annie was cute when they first met, that she remembered, but nothing had ever come of it. Apparently things in this world were _very_ different.

"Are you okay?" Clu asked, now slightly concerned.

"Yeah," Fi said quickly, trying to shake the feeling. "Guess I just spaced out for a moment."

Clu looked her over for a moment, as if trying to decide if she was lying or not, before shaking his head, obviously deciding he didn't care. "How is Annie doing?"

"She's fine," Fi snapped. Then realizing her tone she shook her head. "Can you please just tell me what happened with your parents? I have to get home."

"You mind if I change real quick?" Clu asked, holding his pizza covered shirt and gesturing to the house the two had stopped in front of. "You can come in for a few minutes if you want. Mom's probably still at work."

Fi hesitated for a moment, glancing back as if something would tell her what to do. Then she turned to Clu and smiled. "Only for a few minutes. I think the bus heading back to Hope Springs is going to be here soon."

Clu smirked, taking her hand and pulling her towards the door. "No prob. It'll only take a minute."

SO WEIRD

Annie had to duck behind another wall as several knights stalked past, each in a deep discussion. It was the third time it had happened and she was beginning to get a little frustrated. The keys to the dungeon hadn't been in the little office and there was no one around who carried them.

The knights disappeared around the corner and Annie hastily increased her pace along the corridors. Her only hope now was to try and talk to Arthur. He was the only one who would be reasonable enough to realize that this was all a mistake. Jack would never do something of this sort. If Jack wouldn't, then neither would Jacob. It was only logical.

She ducked behind a pillar at the sound of footsteps, her heart pounding in her chest.

"… and we're going to be able to defeat Morgan's army? Half our troops are already on the frontline and scattered across the country. We can't face Morgan like that."

"You have to have hope," the other knight replied, patting his friend on the back. "Arthur will lead us well."

The two vanished from sight, leaving Annie to cautiously back out; her eyes on the corner the two knights had gone moments before.

"Lookin' fer anythin'?" Someone behind her asked. Annie jumped, spinning around and coming face to face with Sir Henry. The man grinned, his thin lips turning up in a devious tilt that caused Annie's stomach to lurch.

"I – I was just looking for the sewing room," Annie hastily stammered, taking a step back and trying not to seem too out of place.

Henry's grin widened. "Yer goin' tha wrong way, lass. I be thinkin' ye'd want te head out onter the first floor, stead of lookin' fer them stairs up."

Annie hesitated, and then nodded, eyes wide with fear. "Sorry. Guess i- I'm just a little lost."

"Funny how ye'd be a lil lost after livin' in such quarters fer almost sixth months now, ain't that?"

Annie panicked for only a moment, and then, _screw it_, she thought, turning on her heel and attempting to take off. Except she tripped over her skirts and stumbled. Sir Henry caught her by the elbow and dragged her towards the nearest room.

"I do believe it be best if ye were to sit and watch history happen, lass," He said, pushing her into the room.

"You framed Jack!" Annie exclaimed angrily, trying to get past him.

"Set himself up fer it, he did. Walked right inter that little trap. Don't think I didn' know he'd be willin' to risk yer safety fer some kingdom."

Annie stopped struggling, looking at the man with surprise. "What?" She asked quietly.

The man began to laugh. "Aw, yer didn' know? I gave 'im the choice of helpin' me destroy the kingdom and you'd be safe. Looks like he didn' feel any need to keep ye around, eh?"

Despite herself, Annie couldn't help the way her stomach tightened and her eyes burned. "Jack's my friend," She said, though dejectedly.

He grinned in response, shakin' his head. "Apparently he ain't a very gud one."

"Jack wouldn't do that," Annie snapped, pushing away.

"How well do ye know 'im, lass?" Henry countered. He snickered. "Believe me; I've known the Phillip's boy much longer than ye. Jack wouldn't care about ye. He barely cared 'bout 'is own sister he'd been sent to protectin'."

She didn't want to believe him. She even tried telling herself that she could not trust this man. Still, the doubt she had always felt when she'd been around Jack crept back into her mind from where she'd pushed them. She suddenly couldn't stop the way her memories flashed through the way Jack had treated her when she'd moved in. Not to mention how he'd been acting every time she mentioned anything paranormal. Jacob had Anne. Anne had Jacob. Annie and Jack had nothing. They weren't a couple, and they never would be.

"He only sees ye as an annoyin' child, dun he?" Sir Henry asked.

Now there really were tears as Annie quickly looked away. Sir Henry grinned, taking several steps back and taking hold of the door. "Sit back an' enjoy the show, lass. Neither ye nor Sir Jack can change the outcome of tonight's events. Not anymore."

And with that he slammed the door shut and locked it in place.

SO WEIRD

Clu rocked the baby gently back and forth, before setting her down into her crib where she yawned and closed her eyes. He glanced at the small clock by the changing table and frowned. He'd been in the room with the baby for almost fifteen minutes, and he hadn't heard a thing from Fi r Carey. Now he was beginning to get worried.

He gave Abigail a quick look-over before easing the door open and stepping out. Already he could hear voices drifting to the room. He hesitantly peered around the corner to see Fi pacing back and forth, rubbing her hands tiredly over her face while Carey was looking through the Celtic spell book. Clu cleared his throat, catching both of the adult's attention.

"Abigail fell asleep," He said dully. He looked from Fi to Carey uncertainly. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"No," Fi said quietly, falling back onto a chair and looking Clu over. She shook her head. "Carey and I were trying to find something that might explain what went wrong. Unfortunately nothing seems to be coming up."

"It would help if this stuff was in English," Carey argued, giving the young woman a dirty look. She shrugged in reply, taking the book out of his hands and into her own.

"I can't believe you held onto it," Fi said quietly.

"I was hoping it would do some good …" Carey said quietly. "I've gotten over that, now. Jack and Annie have been helpful."

Fi didn't push it. Instead she looked at Clu as he shifted uncertainly. "When were Jack and Annie expected back?"

"They had to pick the Thelan's up from the airport," Carey explained. "They'll probably be a little while. We weren't expecting you to be in town so soon. I guess it's a good thing Clu was late." He gave his brother a quick look and then shook his head. "Well, _our_ Clu was late."

"Hmm," Fi replied, though Clu noticed the somewhat dark look that drifted into her eyes at Carey's words. "We have other things to worry abut at the moment."

Carey leaned over her shoulder. "It took all of us last time to do any severe damage."

"It has to have been growing stronger since it's been released," Fi said quietly.

Clu frowned, taking a seat across from the two. "The Shadow?" He asked.

Carey nodded, turning a page in the book and then sitting back with a reluctant sigh. "I'm sorry you had to find out about this," He said to his brother. Clu shrugged, but Fi gave him an annoyed look.

"You should have told me about this."

"And risk you coming out here and starting a fight with someone? Come on, Fi, no one needs anymore of that."

"And we need you sitting here wallowing in pity?" Fi fumed. "You were such a great guitarist. You can't just let one person's death hang so heavily on your shoulders."

Carey got up quickly, giving Fi a dirty look as he did so. "I'm going out," He growled.

"Don't," Fi said quickly, grabbing his arm, but he hastily jerked back. "It's too dangerous -."

"I'll be fine," Carey snapped, throwing open the door and slamming it shut behind him.

Fi groaned, burying her head in her hands.

"I'll get him," Clu said, jumping to his feet.

"No," Fi said hastily. "He shouldn't be alone out there, but he needs his time alone."

Clu shook his head, pulling open the door. "I'm beginning to think that's the last thing he needs." And with that he closed the door behind him, heading for his older brother.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Just ignore everything that is mentioned in this chapter in regards to the future, because it is not the set future. It is only a 'what if' scenario. The next chap is the last chap of this part, and it's already finished, so let me know if you want me to put it up. Thanks to InStrFan for the constant reviews!!!

CHAPTER NINE

"Carey, wait up!" Clu called, rushing to his brother's side. The older man gave him a dirty look before gazing straight ahead.

"Get out of here, Clu. Go back in the house."

"Come on, man," Clu said; trying t put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. Carey shrugged it off, narrowing his eyes. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."

"Can't be that bad?" Carey demanded. "She had no right to bring that up in there! You don't know what it's like to lose someone important to you."

"No, I don't," Clu admitted. "But I can't let you go through whatever mourning that you're going through alone - especially not when you and the others need to stick together."

Carey didn't say anything for several moments, before finally shaking his head. "I know," He said quietly. He slumped against Fi's car and tried to breathe. Then he looked up and met Clu's eyes.

"What happened?" Clu asked with patience.

Carey peered up at the darkening sky. "My wife," He said quietly. "Or, she would have been my wife, I guess. We were engaged." He swallowed hard. "She was in an accident and there wasn't anything anybody could do to help her. She died on impact."

Clu didn't say anything for several moments. "I'm sorry," He murmured. The two may have been brothers, but suddenly Clu felt as if the two were a hundred miles apart. Time worked in odd ways like that. It separated people when they needed to stick together. It made weaknesses. There wasn't anyway Clu could help his brother, no matter how much he wanted to. It was a sickening realization, but something he was quickly dealing with. It wasn't his job to pull Carey together. At least, not _this_ Clu. The one from this time period should have pulled through in his duties a long time ago. Why wasn't he here now?

"How … did it happen?" Clu hesitantly asked.

"It was a car accident," Carey finally replied, his eyes not leaving the sky. "We'd gotten into this stupid fight that had started off with whose turn it was to do the dishes and ended with her storming out of the apartment to go for a drive. She was on her way to Annie and Jack's, I think, when her car hydroplaned and she swerved off the road crashing into some tree." He hesitated, turning and looking at Clu. "Something about the angle that she hit the steering wheel at."

"Look -."

"I don't want Annie and Jack's sympathy," Carey said, his voice suddenly hardening. "And I'm sick of Fi being concerned. I can handle all of this on my own."

"No you can't," Clu argued. "They need you just as much as you need them. I always looked up to you, Carey – we all did. Whatever is going to happen, they can't do it without you."

"I never left," Carey said, giving Clu a dirty look. "Not like you and Fi." There was something resenting in the tone that Clu hastily picked up on. It was something he'd never heard from his brother before – not even when he was furious. It was one of those tones you take when you're just about to give up on everything despite yourself - when you're just too tired to go on.

As Clu thought back on it, he began to realize that Fi had that same attitude. A strange reluctance to everything around her. Clu couldn't tell if it was just being in Hope Springs that brought it about, or if it was his presence. Either way, Clu didn't like seeing it on his brother or his friend's faces.

"Carey -," He started, and then he shook his head. "Please don't do this to yourself, man. Don't you remember at all what things used to be like? We were all friends -."

"Yeah, we were," Carey replied. "But a lot of things have changed. Don't you get that?"

"I do," Clu said immediately. "Believe me, I do. But I just don't see why. Why are things so different?"

"Because everyone has gone through things. Like you and Fi. You couldn't stand being around each other – She always thought you were secretly in love with Annie and you always thought she didn't want to be here. You both pushed each other away that now none of us see you. And Annie … she's so afraid she's going to hurt the people around her that she hardly lives her life! She might as well raise her daughter in a plastic bubble! And Jack … Jack's _obsessed_ with trying to make everything right, but it's not going to be right. _Nothing_ is going to be alright. There is nothing you, or I, or anyone else can do to fix it."

Clu swallowed hard, letting those words sink in. "What about you?"

Carey suddenly lost steam, and slumped against a tree. "I just do things day to day. It's the only thing I can do."

"… You need a shrink," Clu finally said, cracking a smile from his brother's lips.

"Don't we all?" He asked sardonically.

"Look, why don't we head back inside?" Clu suggested. "Maybe you, me, and Fi can come up with some way to stop this… Shadow."

The two started back up the driveway to the house. "It isn't fair to drag you into our mess," Carey said quietly, turning to his brother. "You're going to have to deal with enough as it is."

"Aw man, I really don't want to hear that," Clu groaned. Carey forced a smile and patted his brother on the back as he pulled open the door.

Fi was standing in the middle of the room with a wailing Abigail in her hands, glancing uncertainly at the ringing phone. She sent Clu a pleading look and he only grinned, walking over and reaching for the phone.

That was really when, to be quite specific, all hell broke loose in the Phillips home.

The Shadow – which Clu recognized as one of those demon/phantom things they had seen in the Dream plane – launched itself from under the table and knocked Clu onto his back, the Shadow passing through him and disappearing into the floor. He was vaguely aware of Fi and Carey's cries of concern, but at that very moment he couldn't really hear anything aside from the ringing in his ears. He blinked several times and let out a groan, trying to get up only to have pain shoot through his back.

"We having a little pow wow here?"

Clu winced, turning his head at the well-known voice to see himself walk into the room, giving each of them a dirty look.

"Clu?" Fi asked with surprise, pulling Abigail closer to her chest. "What are you -?"

"Did you have a nice flight back from Seattle?" Clu interrupted. At Fi's confused look he elaborated with, "I myself enjoyed the flight. Except for that screaming three year old running around the place."

"What are you talking about?" Fi snapped.

"Well, I'm not surprised you didn't see me on the same flight as you, me being in first class and you staying in coach, but none of that really matters, does it?"

"When were you in Seattle?" Fi asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I was actually there for a month. Or two," Clu replied, glancing at his fingers. "I thought about catching up … but then I decided I didn't want to waste the time."

Past Clu finally managed to push himself up with a grimace, and struggle to his feet. He watched the silent exchange between the two with confusion, but shook his head, starting for his brother's side.

"You want to know what I found when I was in Seattle, Fi?" Future Clu asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fi pursed her lips, although her eyes seemed to be darting from Past Clu to Carey almost pleadingly. "I don't know," She finally said.

"I found myself very confused. Why? Because I'd spent three years of my life wandering aimlessly from place to place in hopes of finding some way to -." He stopped, shaking his head. "That doesn't matter, though. What does matter is that I found something else in Seattle. Something that I'm sure you were very concerned about when it went missing."

Fi suddenly paled, as did Carey. Past Clu just tried to understand what was going on.

"You released the Shadow?" Fi breathed, staring in horror. "Why would you -."

"If I remember correctly," Future Clu started, "control over the Shadow gives you control over the entire supernatural world. It was bargaining, Fi. If I wanted to live, I had to make a deal."

"You can't seriously mean that you -."

"I agreed to release the Shadow in return for getting my life back, yes, Carey, that is exactly what happened."

"You know the consequences!" Fi exclaimed, shifting Abigail's weight.

"Would you prefer it if I were dead?" Clu argued. Then he shook his head. "Actually, you probably would."

"Do you even know who it's gone after?" Fi demanded. "All the innocent people -."

"No," Clu hissed. "That's the best part. I still have control over the Shadow, which means I decide who it goes after."

"At a price, Clu," Carey argued.

"The price doesn't matter," Clu hissed. Then he looked at Fi. "The only person the Shadow has been after is you. After all, you were the only person it could never get to before."

"You have no idea what you're doing," Fi said, shaking her head.

"I'm just doing what you never had the guts to do," Clu argued.

Past Clu stood where he was. None of this was making any sense, and perhaps that was for the best. He'd decided if he could find a way back home, he'd make sure none of this craziness ever happened.

"You're crossing way too many lines, Clu," Carey snapped.

"It's about time somebody did! Maybe if had crossed a couple of lines, you would have fixed that fiancé of yours."

Carey narrowed his eyes and burst forward, about to punch his brother in the face just as the front door opened and Jack and Annie stepped in. The Shadow lurched up behind Fi.

Everything froze. Carey's fist were inches from Future Clu's face, Fi was holding Abigail and looking ready to take off, and Annie and Jack were crying out in horror as the Shadow reached out for Fi. No one moved, except for Past Clu.

He looked around with surprise, hoping to find an answer to the strange phenomenon when something gently touched his shoulder.

He jumped, spinning around and almost bumping into Carey when he realized there was a young woman standing behind him. She looked familiar, but at the moment he couldn't quite place her.

"You can't let this happen," She warned, looking over his shoulder at the scene about to occur.

Clu glanced back with confusion. "What exactly happened?"

The woman shook her head. "There isn't much time to explain, you have to head back -."

"I can't fix anything if I don't know what went wrong," Clu snapped.

She hesitated, and then nodded, leading Clu away from the fight that was about to take place. "I've seen the future as it should be, and this isn't it," She explained as she moved. "Someone must have been successful in the past."

"Someone?" Clu asked.

"Haven't you wondered where your friends are?" The woman asked, looking at him with surprise. It was that look that triggered it. _Morghan_.

She was Morghan Steets, the very same girl the group had met earlier that day – although it felt as if weeks had passed since he and the girls had found Jack and Carey locked in the attic. . She'd pulled Fi and Annie out of some trouble, and Fi had suggested later that she was a psychic. He hadn't recognized her because she appeared older. Why was she here?

"I figured they had gone home," Clu admitted, choosing to answer her question rather than dwell on his own. He could only deal with one problem at a time, and fixing the future seemed to be the most important at present.

"Unfortunately No. The phantoms that took Rick's soul caused a rift in the portal sending each of you in separate directions. They then sent out agents to distract each of you so that they would gain the upper hand. They must have succeeded somewhere because obviously the future has been altered. Everyone has become distant and separated from who they once were. None of this is right. You have to go back and fix it."

"How can I fix it when I don't know what happened?" Clu demanded.

The woman peered over her shoulder as the two stepped into Fi's old room. She winced, a sharp pain rippling through her head. Time couldn't be frozen for much longer.

She tore a key from her neck and pressed it into Clu's fingers. "I don't know, but you have to find Fi and Jack and Annie. This key should open the door, as well as temporarily give your sprit a body. You just need to keep your mind on the others – the door should take over from there."

"What about you?" Clu demanded. "I can't just leave you here."

She smiled sadly. "I don't exist here," She said, gesturing around the room. Then she pressed her fingertips to Clu's forehead. "I only exist here, in your memories."

He frowned in confusion, but there wasn't enough time to think it over as she gestured behind him. Clu turned, surprised to see the magnificent door that had brought him to this dangerous future in the first place. He gave Morghan one last look before unlocking the door and hastily walking through, closing the door behind him just as Morghan's concentration broke and the future fell apart.

SO WEIRD

Clu set the glass of orange juice down in front of Fi before taking a seat across from her. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment as Fi gratefully swallowed down the juice, and then shook his head. "So why are you here?"

Fi hesitated, setting the glass down and giving Clu a cautious look. "Why don't you visit your family?" She asked quietly.

Clu shrugged. "We're just not that close," He stated. "For as long as I can remember it's been me and my Mom, don't see why it has to be any different."

Fi looked down at her fingers with thought. "I'm trying to pinpoint something, and unfortunately neither your brother nor mine will help me understand what happened. Do you remember hearing anything about my Father being in a car accident? Rick Phillips?"

Clu frowned, a dark look on his face. "Wait, Rick Phillips of PKB?"

"Yeah. Do you remember him?" Fi asked.

Clu hesitated, before shaking his head. "Mmhmm. Him and his wife fired my Mom."

A chill ran down Fi's spine. No wonder everyone was so dead-set against mentioning Clu and Irene - they were partly responsible for whatever had happened. Still, she couldn't see how her Mother would ever allow Evelyn to become her manager. No matter how many fights Molly and Irene would get in, they still remained close. Whatever happened, it must have been big. Fi had to find out what it was, because she knew it had something to do with her Father still being alive.

"I – I'm sorry?" Fi asked. She shook her head. "How … do you know why?"

Clu shook his head. "It isn't like this is something my Mom and I discuss on a daily basis," He stated.

"Right," Fi agreed, slightly dejected. "I was just really hoping that maybe you could -."

"Your Father got in an accident. My mom got in a fight with him and your mom about something and apparently my Mom pushed things too far. She was fired. Evelyn came in the next day. My parents always argued about whatever it was your Father had been chasing after that night of the accident, which I can't really say I know what it was. My parents hated each other and they got a divorce. Now you know the story."

"No, I don't," Fi said, giving him an annoyed look.

Clu rolled his eyes. "Why did you come here, Fi?" He searched her face. "We never got along when our parents hung out together."

"I thought you said you didn't remember me," Fi said.

"I guess I'm good at acting. Look, I don't want to get mad. I just think that you're wasting your time here. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"Apparently no one can," Fi said, shaking her head and standing up quickly. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"… Wait," Clu called. Fi gave him a confused look and he shook his head. Clu swallowed hard. "My brother … how is he?"

Fi smiled slightly, taking her seat again. "Look, I know what it's like to lose a family member. Don't waste all the chances you could have just because your parents can't seem to stay together."

Clu seemed to think it over for a moment, and then he bent down, kissing her softly on the lips. Then he pulled back. "Thanks for the advice."

"…This is _really_ awkward."

Fi turned with surprise to see Clu, standing in the doorway. She looked back at the other Clu who was equally just as confused as her.

"What the -."

"Maybe I should mention I'm from an alternate reality," Fi said hastily.

"Maybe you should mention why you were kissing … me," Her Clu said, giving the other Clu a weird look.

"He kissed me!" Fi exclaimed, looking at him with surprise. And then she shook her head. "How did you even get here?"

"I got a key," Clu replied, holding the silver charm up.

"Where have you been?" Fi asked, standing now. "Are Jack and Annie with you?"

Clu shook his head. "I don't know where they are, but they definitely weren't with me. Where are we, anyways?"

Fi looked back at the other Clu and gave him a sympathetic smile. "When I said I know what it's like to lose a family member, I wasn't lying. Where I come from my Dad died when he was in that car accident. I don't know what he did that saved him that night in this world, but in mine he didn't make it through. I've had to live with not knowing him for my whole life. Don't lose your family, Clu."

"Come on," Fi's Clu said, gesturing to the elegant door in the middle of the kitchen. "We have to find Jack and Annie, and then we're going home."

Fi walked to his side. "Where have you been, anyways?"

"Future, and I _really_ don't want to talk about it," Clu replied. Fi gave a light laugh and the hastily followed behind him.

The Door of Planes slammed shut. Fiona Phillips dropped into a chair at Clu Bell's – the very kid she hadn't seen in _years_ – table, and suddenly began to suspect that whatever had happened to her for the past two weeks had something to do with the paranormal.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Just in case anyone is wondering, Morghan Steets (pt one and the previous chapter) and Morgan Le Faye are not the same person, nor are they reincarnated versions. They just share similar names. ALSO, this is the last chapter of pt II, and Pt III is scheduled to be launched on Tuesday, Dec 4th at 3:30. And if you like this series then PLEASE let me know so that I'm not wasting my time with the final part. Also, I'd appreciate any suggestions for the next part, cuz it helps to shape the story. Thanks to all my reviewers: Mangoski93, Fire Daughter, Lanakila91, WalkingWit,MissingCancelledShows, DramaNerd, and InStrFan for constantly informing me of what you think!

CHAPTER TEN

Jack paced back and forth along the cement floor. Annie had been gone almost an hour. Or, he assumed it was an hour. It felt longer than it should have been. Still, he was getting concerned. He kept trying to convince himself that he was only jumping to conclusions, but the fact of the matter was that something wasn't right, and he knew it.

He glanced down at his wrist and then groaned with frustration, remembering that he didn't have his watch. Letting out a loud groan he slumped to the floor and buried his head in his hands. He shouldn't have let Annie leave. They should have stuck together, at least then he would know where she was.

He tried to calm his thoughts. Annie was used to looking out for herself. Even if something did happen, she would be fine.

Except, of course, for the fact that she was stuck in a time period that was foreign to her.

Jack shook his head in frustration. He had no idea what was going on. Not even a single clue and it was tearing at him.

A door slammed shut somewhere down the hall, and Jack hastily sat up. "Annie!?" He called.

"Jack?" Came the confused reply. It wasn't Annie, this he knew right away. In fact, he knew that voice _very_ well.

"Fi!?" He called.

The dark dungeon lit up and his sister ran past the empty rooms, stopping at his and holding her flashlight higher. Clu was right at her heels.

"How'd you get locked in here?" Fi asked.

"Twenty questions later, right now you need to help me get out of here," Jack replied.

"We don't have a key," Fi countered, trying to jiggle the doorknob.

"Is Annie with you?" Clu asked.

Jack shook his head. "She went to try and find a way to open the door a while ago and she hasn't come back."

Fi pursed her lips, before turning to Clu. "Do you still have that key to the Door of Planes?"

"Yeah," Clu said, hastily pulling the key from around his neck and handing it to Fi. She slid the key into the lock and twisted, letting out an excited squeal as it came undone. Jack hastily stepped out of the jail, pulling his sister into a large hug.

"Nice threads, dude," Clu snickered, gesturing to the medieval clothes Jack was dressed in. The brunette gave his friend a dirty look, before starting down the hall, Fi and Clu behind him.

"Where exactly are we?" Fi asked, looking around thanks to the light from her flashlight.

"Camelot," Jack replied.

"Wait, as in King Arthur's Court?" Fi asked excitedly. "Is he actually here?"

"Who do you think locked me in that cell?" Jack asked bitterly.

He flung open the door out of the dungeon and was faced with the sounds of battle coming from above. Morgan Le Faye and her troops. The war had begun, and Annie was bound to be caught in the middle of it.

"What's going on?" Fi asked, looking to the ceiling with a frown.

"There's a fight. Arthur's sister has brought her army to the castle," Jack explained.

"How long have you been here?" Fi inquired, suddenly looking confused.

"Two days," Jack replied, giving Fi a startled look. "Why?"

Fi turned to Clu. "When you were in the future, how long were you there for?"

"A couple of hours," Clu explained.

"I was in that alternate world for almost two weeks," Fi stated.

"Wait, future? Alternate world? What are you two talking abut?" Jack demanded.

"Dude, I was in the future, and it was all crazy! We were all fighting each other and there was this thing called the shadow that I was controlling. It was messed up," Clu explained.

"And I went to an alternate reality where Dad was alive," Fi said quietly. Jack gave her a startled look, but Fi shrugged. "As much as I'd love to see Dad again, it wasn't my world."

Jack wanted to ask what it was like, but he knew it was probably best not to. Besides, right now they had more important things to do, like finding Annie.

A loud crash sounded from above, and all three kids ducked just as part of the ceiling collapsed.

"That's some epic battle," Fi growled.

"Annie better not be up there," Jack said, pushing himself to his feet and trying to find a way around all the rubble that had cut off the other end of the hall. He looked to Clu and the blond quickly joined his side, attempting to push the stone away. Fi was soon beside them, and all three grunted with trouble as they tried to force the stone back.

It grumbled and then caved, spilling backward into the empty hall just as a scream erupted from one of the rooms further away.

"That was Annie," Fi said, hastily climbing over what was left of the rubble and heading to where the scream had come from.

SO WEIRD

"Someone let me out of here!" Annie exclaimed, pounding her fists against the locked door in frustration. Already she'd heard horrible sounds coming from above, but nothing was as bad as the crash she'd heard just moments before. Whatever was going on, she wasn't sure she could handle it.

She pounded her fist against the door one more time and then cried out in pain, jerking it back to see that she must have hit it at a wrong angle. Pain pulsed through her fingers and she winced, trying not to let the tears that were already rimming her eyes spill. She stumbled back, managing to bump into something. Or, more specifically, someone.

She let out a startled scream and spun around, coming face to face with…

Annie froze, staring at the other girl standing behind her.

"Ye have to come with me," The girl insisted, grabbing Annie's hand and pulling her towards a small compartment she'd revealed behind one of the wall murals.

"I can't leave Jack – err, Jacob."

"Miss, it is to your mother's wishes I abide. I cannot leave you here," The maid explained.

Annie started to duck into the passage when several voices shouting her name echoed through the room. She pulled back, clutching her injured arm and darting for the door.

"I'm in here!" She called.

Several seconds later footsteps stopped outside her door. Annie gave a quick glance behind only to see that the maid had taken off – probably too terrified that the people outside the door were foes.

"Annie?"

It was Fi. Annie couldn't believe it, but it was really Fi.

"How did you get here!?" Annie called through the door.

"Never mind that now, we have to get out of here!" Fi called back. On the other side she and Clu tried to find a way to open the door, but there was no luck. Not even the key to the Plane of Dreams would work.

"How'd you get in there?" Jack asked.

She hesitated for a moment at Jack's voice, and then called back, "Sir Henry." She leaned her head against the door and tightened her grip on her wrist. The pain was slowly subsiding.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "We have to do something about him," He said to his sister and friend.

"Who?" Fi asked, trying to wedge the door back from its entrance.

"Sir Henry," Jack replied. "He's the one who set me up. That's why I was in the dungeon."

"I thought you said Arthur put you in there," Clu countered.

"He did," Jack explained. "But it was because Sir Henry convinced him I was a traitor. This guy knew who we were, and he was trying to use us."

"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" Clu asked, before moving Fi away from the door and taking a few steps back.

"What are you doing?" Fi asked, giving him a startled look.

Clu grinned. "Using my head, what else? Annie, back away from the door!"

The blond did as was asked, falling to the side just as Clu smashed into the door and knocked it off its hinges. He fell onto the floor with a gasp as Fi and Jack flooded into the room. Fi quickly went to his side to help him up while Jack asked Annie if she was okay.

"I'm fine," Annie said quickly, "but we have to get out of here before Henry comes back."

"Agreed," Fi stated, pulling Clu to his feet. "We have to get back to our world before -."

Sudden cried began to fill the halls outside, and each knew they didn't have much time. Fi turned to Clu, her eyes wide and concerned. "Open the portal. Now!"

"No need to tell me twice," He said, fumbling for the key that was tucked in his pocket. The noise was coming closer.

"There isn't time!" Annie exclaimed; grabbing Jack's arm and pulling him back from the door. The others followed and within moments they were all crowded in the secret room just as troops stormed in.

Annie held her breath, leaning a bit closer to Fi and Clu as she tried not to panic. Jack pressed his ear to the wall and hoped for some sounds.

Seconds later heavy-soled boots stomped into the room, and a bellowing voice demanded, "Where is she?"

Annie subconsciously inched back, even as Fi looped their arms together and started to crawl across the small floor of the secret passage.

"I gave you one job, and you couldn't even do this? I'm beginning to think your skills have been greatly underestimated," The woman snapped.

There was a chuckle, which suddenly ceased as the woman wheeled on whoever was behind her. "And that is enough out of you, Bricriu. I didn't go through all this just so the rest of you wisps could alter the very plans. Did you have any luck finding the whelp?"

"Nay," Said a deep voice.

Jack peered back to see that Fi and Annie were already halfway down the tunnel. He turned to Clu. "Catch up to them," He said quietly.

"What about you?" Clu hissed.

"I'll be there in a minute. Just get the door ready."

Clu hesitated for a moment and Jack shook his head. "Go!"

The blond nodded, turning and disappearing into the tunnel with the two girls, leaving Jack alone. He once more pressed his ear to the wall.

The woman paced back and forth along the room with distaste. "We were given specific instructions to separate the boy and girl. Was it done?"

"Aye," The man beside her said quickly – Sir Henry. "I had the one locked in the dungeon and the lass were locked in here."

"Yet you took all the keys for the dungeons? How did he get out?"

"Looks as if someone unlocked it," Bricriu piped up.

"Where would they get the key?" Morgan Le Faye turned to the cowering man beside her, eyes full of flame as she awaited his answer. He only swallowed hard. "Are you sure it was just the two of them here? None of the others?"

"Only the two, milady. We did exactly as you asked."

"Not well enough, so it would seem. I want them both found, right away. If either of them manages to get back to where they came from unaltered, then we will lose everything, do you understand? No more backing in this war. We'll lose!"

"Yes, Milady," The men around her chorused. She nodded her satisfaction before turning away, stopping for a moment and glancing backwards. "And will you lose those bodies? They're far too cumbersome – can't expect a will o the wisp to simply be held back by a body. Search the castle, I want them found."

Jack leaned back from the wall and frowned in confusion. _Lose the bodies_? What had that meant?

Suddenly there was the sound of several falling men. Then bright lights filled up the room and began to roam, searching for the two children.

They had no choice; they _had _toget out of there.

Jack took off down the passage, heading for the room Annie and the others had disappeared to.

SO WEIRD

Clu had just called forth the doorway – with Fi and Annie's help, when Jack burst into the room, panting heavily. He sought out Fi's face first, and then the others. Slightly relieved to see they all seemed fine, he came to their side.

"They're looking for us," He announced. "They're going to take this whole place over if they find us."

"Then let's go," Clu said, pulling open the door to the Plane of Dreams.

"You guys go ahead," Jack said quickly. "I'll finish things up here."

"We won't just leave you here," Fi argued, looking at him with surprise. "We all go home together, or not at all."

"I'm not going to pout you at risk," Jack snapped.

"And I'm not going to sit back and not know what happened to you!" Fi argued. "You're my big brother."

"Which is exactly why I'm trying to look out for you. Now you need to go!"

Clu and Annie exchanged concerned looks. "The, uh, the door isn't going to stay open all day, guys," Clu called.

Fi glowered. "You two go ahead. We'll meet up with you."

"And risk getting separated again?" Annie countered. "Think of something else."

"There isn't time," Jack snapped, grabbing the blonde's arm and pushing her over to the door. "You have to get out of here. All of you."

"We're not leaving without you!" Fi exclaimed.

"You're not leaving at all."

The door to the Plane of Dreams slammed shut and then vanished. All four watched in sudden horror as the room was suddenly lit up by a bright ball of bouncing light.

"Sorry, then, but it is all for the best," The Scottish ball of light explained, dancing around the room.

She knew it wasn't Bricriu. That Fi was certain of, because the voice that emanated was … different. It was another will o the wisp, and it was obviously set against watching the four leave.

"Ye sure are makin' me job more 'n more difficult, ye knows that?"

"We try," Annie breathed, taking a step back and bumping into Clu. He steadied her before turning his attention back to the scene at hand.

"I told you to go," Jack growled in his sister's ear.

"And I was not going to leave without you, so drop it," She hissed back. He rolled his eyes, but chose to say nothing in response. There were more important things at hand to worry about.

"Okay, plan A didn't work," Clu said, trying to lighten the mood. "Anyone got a plan B?"

"I say we just throw something over its head and leave," Fi glowered.

"All in favor of the new plan B say 'aye'," Annie said.

"Stop all that whispering!" The light bellowed.

Several more lights appeared in the room, as well as several knights. The group was surrounded.

Jack looked around for some weapon, until he found a sword. He grabbed it up and raised it pointedly at the ball.

"When I say go, I want you to open the portal," He growled.

"We're not leaving -."

"I know," Jack snapped. "Just trust me on this one, okay?"

Fi hesitated, and then nodded, taking hold of Clu's hand and giving it an uncertain squeeze. He nodded, fingering the key and then passing it to the brunette. She tucked it in her pocket and took several steps back, Annie moving with her.

Jack and Clu stood tall while the woman who had walked into the room smirked at the two. "What games young men like to play," She said with a grin. "I must admit, I was surprised to hear there were four of you."

"Four's a lucky number," Clu piped up. "Just look at the four leaf clover."

"Yer luck's just run out, love." She turned to two of the balls of light beside her. "Take care of them."

The balls snickered and then darted forward, towards Clu and Jack.

Annie jumped in front, pushing the two boys out of the way. The two glowing balls bounced off her skin and ricocheted around the room. Jack desperately grasped for the sword, finally pulling his fingers around it and jumping up once again. "Go!"

"Altruir domeste, andelugh hadt.

Martsistol alrigad, lenehargh elbest,"

Fi recited the words just as Clu had taught her and watched with relief as the door sprung up from the floor.

"Stop them!" Morgan cried, and suddenly all the will o the wisps and the people in the room started for them.

Fi popped the key in the doorknob and gave it a jerk, pulling the door open. "Let's go!" She called, looking back at the others. Annie and Clu jumped to their feet just as Jack began to fight, lashing his sword out at all the foes so that Annie and Clu had a chance to get to the door. Both scrambled through, Anne's body appearing asleep off to the side. Fi turning back to look at her brother.

"Get going!" He called. He glanced back. "I'll be right there."

Fi hesitated a moment longer, and then nodded, going hastily through the door. Jack swore under his breath, finding the last of his strength and using it to push the sword through whomever it was that was before him and then darting through the door, slamming it shut behind him. The door vanished, and seconds later so did all of the Will 'o' the wisps and the rest of Morgan's paranormal army. She'd failed, and now it was time for her punishment.

Jacob looked up from the floor where he'd fallen moments before, and with a new knowledge he prepared to fight.

SO WEIRD

Clu and Annie groaned, tumbling through the doorway, their spirits tripping back into their bodies. Seconds later Fi followed, and finally Jack. For several moments they let their bodies and souls reconnect, before each opened their eyes. They were back. They were all together. They had finally made it home.


End file.
